A Chat With Adrien: An Adrien AUG-reste Story
by epcot97
Summary: Despondant that the summer writing prompts are over? Never fear, ChubbyUnicornMama, LyraMaeArcher and Epcot97 are back to get you through August with a set of Adrien-centric stories.
1. Week 1 - Oblivious

**Week One - Oblivious**

_Author's Note: Welcome back, friends! Epcot97 here along with ChubbyUnicornMama and LyraMaeArcher; after the fun we had in July, the three of us foolishly thought we'd seen the last of Google Docs for the summer. That was before a certain someone discovered Adrien August (or, apparently, Adrien AUG-reste). Sadly, it was like catnip; so here we are once more with some new themed material for your reading pleasure._

_Each of us has taken one of the four themed weeks and made it our own, with as much an Adrien focus as we can do; one week we are writing together. This week is my take on the theme of "Oblivious," where we watch Adrien slowly transition from his blind crush to something a bit more meaningful. And because I simply can't help myself, there is a healthy dose of Marichat sweetness in the recipe. (No, I won't pay for your dental visit after reading this.) _

_Ep: There was a bunch of research on this one. I think something is wrong with the Chat costume I bought for Comic-Con, though. It was really hot catnapping in the sun! There's no way I'm going to try that Miraculous Chipmunk outfit CM sent me in June now._

_CM: Well, aren't you just Mr. No Fun._

* * *

It was the tail end of summer break for me - in a few short weeks, school started back up and I'd once again need to juggle the daily demands of my academic life with my nightly prowling as Chat Noir. The last academic year had been my first as Chat Noir - well, in fairness, it was my first year in a real classroom, too - and though it had been an amazing experience, summer had offered a much needed respite.

Father had ensured my extracurricular activities filled the time I normally would have been in school, but despite that, I still had plenty of gaps in my day that allowed for some… creativity in planning. That's how I found myself one afternoon lounging atop the roof of the American Library In Paris, masked eyes closed as I tried to absorb every last photon the sun was putting out. My wild mane was propped up against the backpack I'd carried in; I had a research paper due the first week we returned and had been doing some research in the reading room not two floors below me.

It went faster than I expected, and as I closed up my tablet and walked over to the desk to check my books back in, I happened to cross a beam of afternoon sunshine that was slanting in through the magnificent southern-facing windows. That was all my inner Chat needed; instead of calling my bodyguard for an earlier pickup, I found a protected corner of the stacks and transformed, then slinked out an open window to make my way to the roof.

The dark color of my costume had warmed quickly, but it's magical properties kept me in the snug-and-cozy part of the chart despite both being in direct sunlight and the rather warm temperature for the day. I sighed contentedly, then stretched luxuriously before re-adjusting the backpack so I could get a better view of the Eiffel Tower. I smiled at that - for most of my observations were taking place behind closed eyelids.

I felt the purring rumbling in my chest, and wondered vaguely if I should be worried how many cat-like tendencies I was expressing - and how I had begun to structure my life around them. The warmth of the sun permeating my costume lulled me into a catnap, which was rudely interrupted by the incessant buzzing from my baton.

Knowing I would likely miss my pick-up call, I had set an alarm for ten minutes ahead of my designated time by Gorilla, but as I pulled the baton out and popped it open, Ladybug was actually texting me. Guilt inflamed the parts of my face not covered by the mask; she had repeatedly tried to discourage me from non-hero related outings as Chat. I scanned the rooftops around me, trying to determine if she'd caught me, but didn't see red-and-black anywhere.

Turning back to the phone, my masked eyes widened.

_**Bugaboo:**_ _Mind if I join you?_

_**Chat: **__You're always welcome to!_

_**Bugaboo:**_ _Be there in five._

I didn't have to tell her where I was, knowing that the Bug Phone had a lock on my location. I slid the baton back and leaned against my bag, claws laced behind my head. Ladybug arrived as promised and carefully sat down next to me.

"Hey kitty," she said. "Catching some rays, I assume?"

"Yes," I said, smiling. I caught her looking at the bag behind me and belatedly realized she might be able to recognize it. I flipped sideways and covered it with my back. "What brings you to my scratching post, Milady?"

She smiled and leaned back a bit herself. "I needed a break," she said. "You always seem so relaxed when you're enjoying your sunshine, I thought it might de-stress me a bit."

My eyes popped wider. "What's wrong, Milady?"

She sighed, looking less like Ladybug and more like a normal teenager. "I've been helping out my parents and…" she paused, deciding how much to reveal, "we've been putting in some long hours. And some of our… well some of the jobs require us to work with clients who are… overbearing?"

I nodded. This was more personal information than I'd ever gotten from her before. "I am happy to hang out with you for a bit," I said, smiling a cocky-Chat smile. "It's a well known fact that cats help lower the blood pressure of their owners."

She looked at me. "I don't _own_ you, Chat," she said with some shock.

"Milady, you've owned my heart from the start."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "I should have seen that coming."

"Yes." I started to say something else, but a particular telltale tickle hit my olfactory nerves; I immediately put a claw to my nose and squeezed my masked eyes shut. Of all the times!

"Chat?"

I held a paw out to her, and for a moment I thought it had passed. Swallowing hard, I tried to speak again only to have the world go fuzzy as my eyes watered up.

I tried my best, but the sneezing started in earnest; I opened my watering eyes to see a handful of pigeons had landed just behind us and were pecking away at the tiles. Ladybug caught my look and a knowing smile hit her lips as I devolved into another series of sneezes. Feathers. And it was worse as Chat, since I was far more sensitive in the sensory department.

Sadly, I started to pack up to go - until they cleared out or we moved to another location, there'd be no way I could continue a conversation. I also had the added issue that my alter-ego had a well-documented allergy to feathers; Ladybug had only met me in civilian form a few times, and none of them had been when I'd been having an allergy attack. But since I had no idea who was under that mask, prudence dictated I depart.

I waved halfheartedly at her between sneezes that wracked my body; she looked concerned but understood and departed in a direction opposite to mine. I curled around the outside of the library and back through the window I'd used earlier, de-transforming in the same protected part of the stacks. My eyes were still running but the sneezing had thankfully stopped by the time I'd made it to the curb and the waiting sedan.

My phone rang on the ride back to the mansion, and it was Marinette of all people. We talked regularly; in fact, I'd made it a point to visit the bakery as Adrien a few times a week, picking up goodies as an excuse to spend time with my friend. As I answered the call, I smiled a private smile, for Chat was a far more regular visitor, dropping in just about every evening on the Bakery's rooftop patio.

If only she knew.

"Prince-uh, Marinette!" I said. Between the sun and the allergy attack, I'd forgotten which persona I was supposed to be at that moment. "What's up?"

"Hey Adrien," her small image said. "Your Father's order is ready. I tried calling the number they gave us, but his assistant says he's unreachable at the moment."

I smiled outwardly but cringed inwardly. It was so like him to forget. "I'll swing by," I said. "I'm close anyway."

"Great! See you soon," she said as she hung up.

I redirected a not-impressed Gorilla and the sedan pulled up in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. After asking him to wait, I moved across to the store and pulled the door open, reveling in the cheerful chime of the bell that was attached to it. Marinette was behind the counter, the store otherwise empty.

She had that dreamy expression she always wore in those few moments when we were alone together, and I feared that our conversation was about to veer into sentences of few syllables. "Thanks for letting me know," I said as I approached. "Father tends to get wrapped up in his work; he's never able to find the purrfect moment to break away."

Marinette's eyes popped out of their dream state. "He what?"

My smile faltered. Had I said something odd? "Anyway," I said, "what did he order?"

Still looking at me oddly, she turned and pulled a set of bags from beneath the counter. I recognized them immediately: small, perfectly portioned-controlled dishes. For one.

For me.

Father was about to go away on another business trip. I felt a tiny flame of anger but used some model magic to keep the smile going. He didn't trust I would eat properly while he was gone - well, properly for a model that had to keep an unrealistic body shape. It also meant he'd be giving the cook the week off - forcing me to eat what was provided. Not that I minded; Tom and Sabine knew the drill by now and as they felt I was underfed to begin with, tended to slide in extras.

Marinette was looking at me again. "How long this time?"

I looked at the bags. "At least a week, judging from these."

At my miserable expression, something crossed her face. "You could stay with us," she said suddenly. "No reason to be alone in the mansion. We've got a spare room."

I felt a slight elation. It _would_ be nice not to be alone for ten days, which was nearer to how long he'd really be gone. I couldn't believe how much of a friend Marinette was to even suggest it. "I'd like that," I said happily, "but I doubt Father-"

Marinette's face took on the determined look I was well acquainted with. It appeared any time someone told her something was impossible. "Be right back," she said as she disappeared into the residence portion of the building.

I patiently waited, looking through the bags as I did so. My smile crept bigger when I located the small bag of passionfruit macarons; I knew those had been inserted by Marinette. Had I been transformed, a quick claw to the edge of the bag would've liberated at least two. I had nearly convinced myself to do it when she came around the corner, glumly.

"Didn't go for it, did he?" I said.

"No," she nodded. "I'm sorry. Dad tried."

"It's all good," I replied as I took up the bags. "You'll be with me in spirit," I added as I headed for the door. "Especially when I munch on those macarons," I winked.

Her face flushed crimson as I pushed my way out the door.

Continuing on in the sedan, I mused that having Father gone for a bit wouldn't be a bad thing. Gorilla would likely keep me on the major parts of my schedule, but in the past I'd found it was far easier to escape as Chat Noir when he was on duty. When Nathalie didn't meet us at the steps to the mansion, I realized Father had _already_ departed, having done so once again without saying goodbye.

Sighing, I toted my meals into the barren kitchen and put them away in the freezer or fridge as appropriate, careful to hold out the macarons so I could spirit them to my bedroom. Chat Noir loved his midnight nibbles; I'd have to come up with some way to thank Marinette. From both of us.

Several days passed before I had my first opportunity to visit Marinette as Chat.

As I trudged down from my bedroom with my empty dinner tray, Gorilla was fast asleep at the front door, newspaper sliding out of one hand. After quickly disposing of the tray, I quietly tip-toed back to my room, and then transformed on the run, diving through my open window as Chat. It was still very light out at that hour, but I found I was casting long cat shadows as I crossed the rooftops of Paris on my way to the Bakery.

I found my Princess sitting cross-legged on the patio when I landed on my favorite chimney. "Hello, Purrincess," I said brightly.

"Hey, Chat!" Marinette said warmly, looking up from what she was working on. "C'mon down, you silly kitty. If I've told you once-"

"I know," I laughed as I vaulted to the railing overlooking her and repositioned into my world famous cat-perched-on-a-rail stance. "But your chimney makes for a much more dramatic entrance. That, and you can hear my boots better when I land."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

I cocked my feline ears at her. "I can hear you when you move from your bedroom. You nearly always come up the ladder right after I hit the chimney."

"Oh," she laughed. "Of course."

I eyed the construction materials she had arrayed around her. "Whacha doing?"

"I'm making charm bracelets," she said, turning back to one in her hand. She had braided together several strands of colorful threads to form a thicker multicolored cord. Several completed ones were on one side, and though my better feline vision could easily see their details, I was curious enough about the handiwork that I vaulted down to her side to pick one up in a paw.

"These are fantastic," I whistled, my masked green eyes taking in the convoluted but unique twists she had created. Each one of the finished bracelets was completely unique. I turned my attention to the one in her hand and my eyes widened. The primary thread was black, but an electric green accent had been woven into the mix. Both colors were an exact match to my costume.

My feline eyes went to hers. "Princess, those colors look familiar."

"They should," she said, her eyes dancing with laughter. "I had to use the color wheel app on my phone, though, to get it right."

It finally dawned on me why she'd wanted to take a photo of the illuminated logo on my baton. "Clever," I nodded.

With a deft maneuver, she tied off the ends and then held it to me. "Wrist, please," she said.

I dutifully held out my ring arm, and she quickly connected the ends to each other. It fit comfortably just behind my wrist cowl. "Wow," I said. "My own personal Lucky Charm!"

Her eyes widened. "Who said anything about luck?" she asked.

"If it's from you, Princess, it _has _to be lucky," I said, carefully leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "Thank you."

Marinette was a little crimson, and looked down slightly. "You're welcome, Chat."

I spent the next couple of hours making a few of my own, and found that having claws actually was rather beneficial for fishing thread through the knots. It was close to midnight once I returned to the mansion, where I found Gorilla still sound asleep at the door and apparently none-the-wiser that his charge had been absent for the past few hours.

Monday rolled around, and though Father had only been gone a few days, I was nearly out of macarons. That seemed to be as good as an excuse as any for Chat to go on the prowl once more; this time, Gorilla was watching the snooker world finals on the big screen in Father's atelier. I knew he'd be sound asleep before the penultimate pair played each other, and vaulted from my bedroom window shortly after finishing my own dinner.

As I neared the Bakery, I could see the lights were on over the patio, but Marinette wasn't present. That wasn't unusual, so I landed on the chimney and waited for a moment, cocking my head to listen. What I heard brought a smile to my face - she was in her room, playing on her Xbox, and from her excited mutterings, oblivious to anything outside that virtual world.

I vaulted down to the skylight, tapped once with my claws, and then popped it open in a smooth motion. With practiced ease, I dropped directly through it and into a crouch on her bedroom floor. "Princess-" I started, before realizing I'd just created a bit of a mess.

Three sets of eyes turned in my direction: in addition to Marinette, Alya and Nino were also there. Two of them wore shocked expressions. The third, a bit of _what-do-we-do-now_?

"Uh, hey, Chat," Marinette said. "I, uh, wasn't expecting you tonight."

Alya swung around to her friend. "What do you mean, _tonight_? He visits? Often?"

Nino just continued to stare at me.

"Uh, well, you see-"

Thinking quickly, I smiled a million-watt model smile and crept closer to where the three of them were sitting on all fours. "I've been helping Marinette prep for that online tournament she's entered." I looked at her knowingly. "You know? That multiplayer Ultimate Mec tournament?"

She caught my thread and I saw relief washing over her. "Yes, that's right," she said.

Alya looked at me, arched eyebrow and all. "You play video games," she said, her tone evoching disbelief.

"A cat's gotta have downtime too," I laughed. "And it's more interesting than playing with a mouse toy." I waited for a beat. "Although the catnip-loaded ones can be fun."

"But how-" Nino started.

"Looks like I got here in the nick of time," I interrupted. "Who gets to be my partner?"

There was a tiny squabble but in the end I was paired up with Marinette just as I'd hoped, and we spent a happy few hours battling Nino and Alya on a new map that had recently been released. Mari and I actually did play together regularly during my visits as Chat, and I think we surprised Nino and Alya with how well we meshed as partners.

After ultimately blowing them out in a final winner-take-all round, they bade us goodnight and left together. We watched them from the rooftop patio as they walked hand in hand toward the Metro, and for a moment, I pictured myself with Marinette before hurriedly swapping her out for Ladybug. That had been happening to me more and more over the past few months; not for the first time I wondered if I was intentionally ignoring my changing feelings for my friend.

"It's late," I said, turning toward her but also well aware that my tail had snaked itself around her waist. "I should go."

I noted that for once, she didn't remove it. "Chat," she said suddenly, "would you do me a favor?"

"Anything, Princess."

"My friend, Adrien, has been alone all week. His Father is out of town on business and that means he's quite nastily stuck at home." She paused. "Would you check in on him for me?"

"I will," I said, unable to explain to her how I was going to do that. Then an idea struck me. "Want me to sneak you in?"

"Wait - what?"

"You want to visit him? I can get you past the bodyguard if you like."

She smiled. "You'd do that?"

"Absolutely," I said, wondering exactly how I was going to pull this off. But I had an idea. "Get some cardboard together and I'll meet you here tomorrow night. We need to build you a disguise."

"Okay!" she said, and she leaned up to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate this, I'm worried about him."

"Don't be," I laughed as I hopped to the railing to go. "With a room like his, I bet he's forgotten there _is _an outside world."

Marinette looked as though she had her doubts, but I smiled warmly and took off for the mansion.

I arrived about the same time the following evening and found Marinette once more surrounded by building materials. I dropped directly to the tile of the roof this time, and saw she had already realized what I was thinking. I nodded, then dropped to her side and playfully nudged her slightly with my mane. "Nice," I purred.

"Hey!" she cried, her scissors going wild with my bump and shearing off a part of the cardboard.

"Sorry." I backed up a bit. "You figured out my plan already then?"

Marinette proudly pointed to the outfit she had crafted from the cardboard boxes her father received at the bakery. Along with the smaller box in her hands that was currently topped with one triangular ear, she'd fashioned the better part of a faux Chat Noir outfit. "Yes," she said, "but this won't fool too many people."

"It will be dark," I reminded her.

"But you'll be with me," she said, wearing a worried expression. "There can't be two Chats present."

"There won't be," I smiled as I turned and grabbed the canister of black paint she'd opened.

Less than an hour later, I was carrying Marinette in her Chat outfit across the darkened skies of the city. "Normally, I would just go through the bedroom window," I told her as we got closer to the mansion.

"When you visit?" she asked.

"Uh, yes," I said, realizing I was being a little too truthful. "Since you can't climb up that high, we're going to meet him at the front door."

"What?!"

"Don't worry," I laughed. "He's got it covered. I'm going to drop you there and then circle back to his room. Once he knows you're there, he'll come down and sneak you in."

I could feel her stare of disbelief, but she kept her own council. We landed on a roof close to the mansion, and once I was certain the coast was clear, I vaulted over the fence and baton-pogoed twice to reach the door. Gently, I let Marinette down, smiling at the "malfunctioning" lights in the dooryard. I'd carefully smashed all of them with my baton on the way out, effectively shrouding the front of the mansion in darkness. "Stay put," I said, and then I rode the baton up and away from her.

Once I was out of her line of sight, I redirected to a nearer window I'd already left open, dropping noiselessly down in a guest room we hardly used. The furniture was covered in ghost-like cloth that rippled as I bounded past it. At the doorway, I cracked it open and leaned a feline ear out; as I expected, Gorilla was snoring, loudly, from his suite at the end of the hallway. If my plan went as I hoped, he'd slumber away the rest of the evening.

Dropping my transformation, I hurried down the staircase and unlocked the front door. "Chat Noir! What a surprise!" I said out loud to an audience that didn't exist.

Marinette laughed, a tad uncomfortably. "Uh, surprise?!"

I leaned down and whispered, "Chat told me you were coming." I eyed her outfit. "He did say you'd look like him. Not bad…"

"Thanks," she said nervously. "May I…?"

"Of course!" I pulled back the big door and let her in, and then the two of us tiptoed up to my room. As I helped her take off the cardboard, though, I realized I'd made a tiny error.

"Where's Chat?" she asked, looking around my room, with her eyes landing on my closed bedroom windows.

"He said he'd be back in time to take you home," I said quickly, my own eyes flicking to the window. "But he had an errand to run."

"Uh huh," she said, eyes looking skeptical.

"I hear you've been playing UM with him as a partner," I said, quickly changing subjects and hustling her to my couch and the waiting game console. "I've been cooped up here for days! Show me all of the moves he's taught you…"

We spent a few hours playing together, with breaks for snacks that I'd managed to rustle up from the kitchen. As it got later and later, I watched her yawns get bigger and bigger before she ultimately dozed off against the pillow I'd conveniently placed on her side of the couch.

Ducking into my bathroom as a precaution, I transformed to Chat Noir and re-entered the bedroom, turning off the lights as I went. By the time I reached Marinette, the room was completely dark and my night vision had fully kicked in. Mari was softly snoring, the game controller still in one hand. I hopped to the top of the couch and perched for a moment, appreciating the fact that she'd made the effort to visit me.

I felt a change happening, deep in my heart. Somewhere along the line, my friend had become something more to me; I still had feelings for Ladybug, of course, but increasingly I found my thoughts were centering on Marinette. As I gently scooped her up into my arms and moved through the now-open window of my bedroom, I realized just how comfortable - and comforting - my relationship with Marinette was. And that at some level, I wanted to deepen it.

When did _that _happen?

After carefully tucking her into her own bed, I paused at the railing on her balcony, torn; I didn't quite dare leave her to wake up in an unexpected place. But Adrien would ultimately be missed if I didn't return to the mansion.

The choice was simple, really, and I slipped back down into her bedroom, carefully sliding past her sleeping form to drop noiselessly to the floor. I hopped up to her chaise lounge and curled up facing her bed, and settled in to wait for her to awaken.

As comfortable as the lounge was, and as tired as I had to have been, I didn't realize I'd nodded off myself until I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I flew off the chaise and landed, baton out, ready to take on whoever had dared attack my princess before realizing I was staring at a very shocked Marinette.

"Chat…?" she asked, eyes wide. "Have you been here all night?"

"Purrincess," I said, eyes scanning the space to make sure we were truly alone. "Uh, yeah, I guess," I admitted. I popped open the baton and saw it was close to seven, and groaned. "I'm dead," I said simply. "My alter-ego should be at breakfast about now."

I didn't think her eyes could go any wider. "Can you get home fast enough to ameliorate it?"

"No," I said. "Although…" My eyes narrowed a bit as an evil idea appeared in my feline brain. "If I can ask a favor and a landline? Maybe I can fix this."

"We've got one downstairs in the Bakery," she said. "What's the favor?"

"I need a moment alone with the phone," I said. "I obviously can't call as Chat."

She laughed. "Doh! Of course. C'mon, let's see if we can sneak you past my parents."

Marinette took me by the paw and whisked down the trapdoor to the main part of the residence, then down two flights to the rear entrance of the Bakery's kitchen. I could hear Tom and Sabine out front and frowned; Marinette held a finger to her lips and pulled me into a back corner of the kitchen and through a small door I'd never seen before. A tiny desk was littered with paper and a small computer - clearly it was the business office for the Bakery.

"I'll distract," she said as she backed out and closed the door behind her.

As soon as she closed the door, I dialed Gorilla's direct line with my claws and waited. It was a brief conversation - I was in big trouble for apparently sneaking out of the house on him - but he backed down a bit when I told him I'd gone to the Bakery for coffee and did he want any? The promise of coffee bought me twenty minutes, and left me smiling as I replaced the phone.

Marinette knocked, quietly re-entered and looked at me inquiringly. "I need two cups of coffee," I laughed, "and the day will be saved."

"I think we can rustle that up for you, Chat," she smiled. "And - thanks for last night," she added. "It was important to me that Adrien know he's not alone."

_Oh, he knows_, I thought..

"Anytime, Purrincess," I smiled.

As I stood up to leave, my tail snagged on Tom's chair, throwing me off balance and directly into Marinette. We tumbled together and hit the floor, and I found myself looking up at her from my back. She was staring at me, and I at her. Impulsively, I leaned up and kissed her. Marinette tensed slightly, but didn't pull back; in fact, she leaned down and into me, ratcheting up the intensity a few notches. I felt my tail kink slightly.

She pulled back and I stared into those deep blue eyes, seeing she, too, had come to some conclusions about our relationship. Something clicked for her and she leaned down again for a quick follow-up smooch. "Drop by again tonight," she said with a sly smile, "and we can discuss this further."

"As you wish, Princess," I smiled, gently brushing a lock of hair back from her face with a claw. It took an amazing amount of willpower not to snag one of the ribbons in her pigtail while I was at it.

Having brought Ladybug coffee on numerous occasions, I was an old hand at flying through the Parisian skyline with a drink carrier. I found a safe alley close to the mansion and dropped my transformation so Adrien could walk the rest of the way, careful to ensure I was coming from the right direction. Gorilla met me at the top of the steps, and despite the hard look he initially gave me, a shadow of a smile crossed his face when I offered him his cup of Tom's special brew.

Chat Noir wasn't the only fan of that blend in Paris, it seemed.

Keeping to my best behavior for the rest of the day meant dutifully going through my Wednesday schedule according to plan; I had fencing in the morning and a photoshoot in the afternoon, and by early evening, we were back at the mansion. Officially, the rest of the day was to be spent practicing my piano (sandwiched around dinner, of course), but as soon as I'd closed the door to my bedroom, I transformed to Chat Noir. My feline hearing would be better suited to determining when I could skulk out of the mansion to meet with Marinette.

Gorilla, burned once already, abandoned his normal playbook at that point. To my surprise, I heard him set up his chair outside my bedroom door; hurriedly, I docked my phone and spun up one of the pre-recorded practice sessions I'd made, complete with flubs, and relaxed slightly when it didn't appear he was going to perform a spot check.

I alternated for about an hour between pre-recorded tracks and my own talents at the ivories; it had been a while since I'd played with my claws out, and I made a few note errors before accounting for the slightly longer fingertips I had. But Gorilla didn't seem able to tell the difference between my live playing and the pre-recorded music, so by nineteen-hundred, I reset the playlist on my phone for a three hour set and started it playing.

Creeping to the door, I pressed a feline ear to it and heard snoring. Smiling, I cracked the door open enough to peer into the mezzanine. Gorilla was there in his chair, head resting against the wall, newspaper partially clasped in one hand. He looked quite peaceful.

Carefully closing the door, I quickly bounded out my open window and into the night. Marinette was waiting for me when I dropped down onto my favorite chimney. "Sorry I'm late, Princess," I said as I vaulted to the railing next to her. "I had more trouble exiting tonight than normal."

"I can imagine," she said. "You weren't in too much trouble from last night, were you?"

"Enough that I will be under… surveillance for a bit."

She frowned and looked genuinely upset. "I'm so sorry to have gotten you in hot water."

I smiled. "It was worth it, Princess. And I'd do it again, happily."

Marinette looked at me, and reached out a hand, beckoning me down to her. I dropped off the railing and took her hand in my paw. "It dawned on me this morning that you've been a rather frequent visitor, Chat."

"I'm here a few times a week," I smiled.

"No, Chat." She looked at me seriously. "You're here just about _every _night. The only nights you've missed have been ones that you were off fighting an akuma with Ladybug." She paused. "And even then, I'm pretty sure you actually stopped by but didn't wake me."

I narrowed my masked green eyes a little. I knew she was right. I'd come to the same realization; I just wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. "So what are you saying, Purrincess?"

"I think we should abandon any pretense, Chat." She put her hands to my costumed shoulders. "It may have started as two friends hanging together, but I think you know as well as I do that we've moved beyond that now. We should recognize it for what it is."

My heart was beating rather loudly - I was sure Marinette could hear it. "And what would that be, Princess?" I asked, slyly smiling and cocking my head at her. I held my breath, waiting for an answer I wasn't sure I'd ever have heard from anyone.

Marinette's eyes met mine, and held them. I saw trust, compassion, and even love in those blue depths, and my heart skipped a beat. Then two.

"You're mine, kitty," she said softly. "And I am yours. These paws," she said, picking up one for emphasis and placing on her chest, "have wrapped themselves around my heart completely."

I let the breath out. In that one moment, I knew I felt the exact same way - and had for some time.

Running a claw through her hair, and this time, playing slightly with a ribbon, I smiled back at her as I gazed deeply at the girl I knew I Ioved with everything I had. "My heart is yours, Princess. For as long as you want. Hopefully furever."

She drew me in and placed her head against my costume, and I held her like that for a bit, relishing how the universe had suddenly snapped into perfect order. Ladybug still had a special place in my soul, that I couldn't deny; but the girl in front of me was my entire reason for being.

There was just one, tiny little detail. "Mari," I said cautiously, "you only know me as Chat. Are you okay being in a relationship with a feline of mystery?"

Marinette looked up at me, a knowing gleam to her eye. "I think I know you well enough, kitty," she said softly. "And when the time is right, you can reveal your secret to me. Until then, I am purrfectly happy."

My masked eyes widened. "Did you just steal my pun?"

"Better get used to it, Chat," she laughed.

I hugged her closely, my heart overflowing with pure joy. "As you wish, Purrincess," I said softly into her hair. "As you wish…"


	2. Week 2 - AU

**Week Two - AU**

_Author's Note: CM here! Waaaaay back when we started this insane run (think back to day one of MariChat May), I wrote a story, mostly from Marinette's point of view, for the prompt "No Powers". This is a continuation of that story… from Adrien's point of view. If you want to see the original, you can check it out __here__._

_While we do not own any of the rights to _Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir_, I'm wondering if I can get any bargaining leverage for _Chat Noir! Black Leather Clad Keyboardist…

_Ep: Totally. Now we just need to come up with the music to support it..._

* * *

It started out as a simple need to get out of the house. To be with other people, even if he didn't get to interact with them. He would wear all black and a mask, the night air caressing his face. The first time that he entered a store, looking to buy something, only to have a conversation with the shopkeeper, another human being, is when he learned that if you wear just a mask into a store, people think you're going to rob it.

After a long conversation with his long-time personal designer and only real friend, Alexandre Plagg, Adrien Agreste decided that instead of a mask to hide his features, it was much more acceptable to walk around in a full costume. Talking to Plagg about what he wanted, something dark to keep him easily hidden, yet whimsical enough that people wouldn't find him frightening, the idea for Chat Noir was born.

A leather suit, fitted to his body, with small pockets that sat just below his ribcage was complimented by a belt that hung low in the back, representing a tail, and an oversized golden bell tucked up under his chin. The black domino mask remained covering his eyes, keeping his identity hidden from fans and family alike with black gloves that covered his long fingers. . The finishing touch was a pair of leather cat ears that bobbed in his carelessly styled blonde locks as they perched atop a headband the same color as his hair. The effect was a slightly goofy cat-boy that oozed charm when Adrien let loose the more flamboyant side of his personality.

The result was a persona, much like the one he donned to become Adrien the Model, only opposite in almost every way. While Adrien Agreste was quiet, shy and calmly put together, his life an open book, documented for the interest of all Paris, Chat Noir was boisterous, outgoing and flirtatious, yet a complete mystery to everyone. He would show up around town, mostly at festivals, concerts and other large gatherings of people where he could be absorbed into the sea of humanity.

A few months into his outings under his new persona, Plagg was working on an outfit for his father's upcoming Designer's Dinner, where he would be forced to mingle with his father's counterparts and basically be treated as a human mannequin, one whose personal attributes as well as the clothes he wore, words he spoke, manners and even education would be critiqued by the notoriously hard to please designers in attendance.

Plagg stepped into Adrien's room so they could have a fitting in private, the design already having been approved, just the fit being fine tuned. From inside his notebook, Plagg pulled out an article, a want ad to be specific, showing an open call to try out for one of the city's more popular new bands, Kitty Section. The band appeared to be in need of a keyboard player, and Plagg knew that Adrien was an accomplished pianist.

"Adrien! You have to look at this! A group is looking for a keyboard player. They've won a couple of local talent shows, and the members look to be your age. I think that this would be a perfect opportunity for you!"

Adrien sighed, and looked sadly at his friend. "Alexandre, have you forgotten. I can escape as Chat Noir every once in a while, but how am I going to be able to sneak out for rehearsals? I would have to spend a lot of time as Chat."

"It doesn't hurt to try out. You can figure out any issues if you are chosen as the keyboard player. You might hate playing with others, but if you don't take the chance, how will you ever know?"

"You're right. I should try it."

Plagg grinned at him and handed him the clipping. "The good news is that I have requested your presence for an inspiration session this Friday, when the tryouts are. Your father doesn't need to know that I'm caught up on your designs for the next several months."

Several years ago when Plagg had realized how tight a leash Adrien was kept on, he had approached Gabriel Agreste about doing "inspiration sessions", where he borrowed the boy and took him out on short trips, whether to the Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries, or even to a street market, more to get him out and having experiences that children his age should be having. As Adrien got older, they started taking day trips to other towns, swiftly visiting the sights they said they would so that Adrien would not have to lie to his father, but including many things that both knew the older Agreste would not approve of.

"Thank you Alexandre! I really appreciate it!" Clutching the clipping to his chest, Adrien grinned at his friend. "What kind of piece should I play for them? I know they're definitely not a classical style group, but I want to show off what I can do!"

The pair decided on him playing a medley of songs, starting off with a classical piece, and giving it a more metal edge, as well as a jazz piece that showed off his skills nicely.

The day of the tryouts arrived, and Adrien was nervous when Plagg came to pick him up. They took a quick trip to Plagg's apartment so that Adrien could switch to his Chat Noir costume. Plagg followed Adrien to the park where the auditions were taking place. The band appeared to be comprised of two girls and two boys that appeared fairly close to him in age. He smiled behind the mask as he watched the others playing their pieces. From a distance, the keyboard looked familiar, but when it was his turn to play, he approached the instrument and let out a gasp of joy. "Oh man! Is this an original ZX 20.4? I love the sound of this instrument!"

The blue haired boy in front of him smiled and nodded. "Yep. We've been looking for someone who knows this instrument. Show us what you've got." Chat Noir played his prepared songs, losing himself in the music, and only remembering that he had an audience when applause broke out as the final notes faded away.

The four bandmates smiled at him, and continued to hear auditions. Another nerve wracking hour passed, and the blue haired boy addressed everyone. "Thank you for coming! We will discuss this amongst ourselves, and see if there is a clear favorite. If not, we will announce the finalists."

It was barely five minutes later that the young man returned. "We want to thank everyone for coming, you were all fantastic, but by unanimous decision, we would like to invite, uh, Chat Noir to join us."

Adrien was stunned and overjoyed. As he made his way up to the band… his new band… he heard the others muttering, but ignored it, the butterflies in his stomach flapping way to much for him to have any other concerns.

The blue haired boy introduced himself as Luka Couffaine, and a dark haired girl with a purple streak was his sister, Juleka. The adorable blonde girl was Rose Lavillant, and the giant of a drummer was Ivan Bruel.

Adrien gave his name as Chat Noir, and when pressed, refused to share his given name, stating that he was going to be known as Chat Noir and nothing else. Luka looked at his bandmates. They all just shrugged back at him, and that was that, he was in the band.

After the first few months of rehearsals, Chat felt comfortable enough sitting down with Luka and explaining the basics of his situation: that he had to sneak out, and his father would kill him if he found out who Chat was under the mask. Luka was concerned at the risks his new friend was taking, but ultimately understood.

Luka said that they'd been talking with a friend, about making their band costumes, but Adrien pointed out that he already had a costume, and definitely didn't need one made by a College student. Luka looked offended for a moment before he schooled his features and just nodded. "Alright. We are planning on masks and costumes for when we open for Lenni Kim in a few months. Are you sure you don't want Marinette to brighten up your look a bit?"

Adrien shook his head. "I'm happy with what I have. Thank you. I am sure this Marinette is talented for a College student, but I am not interested in wearing anything made by an amateur."

He regretted his words a few weeks later, when he saw the detail in the costumes, and just how well made they were. Each of his bandmates had a mask that completely fit with their personality, and a costume that felt like a natural continuation of it. This girl was more talented than he had given her credit for.

The night of the concert rolled around. It was his first major performance with Kitty Section, and he was nervous. The few shows that they had done showed Adrien that girls were just as superficial about musicians as they were about models, and he didn't like the eyes that looked at him like he was a commodity, although he should probably be used to it by now.

It was in the middle of their first song that he noticed her. A pretty girl in the third row, almost directly in front of him. She had hair so black that it shone blue, and a smile that lit up the whole venue. She looked like she was having fun, and her eyes kept drifting back to him. She didn't look at him in a proprietary way; her gaze was more curious than anything else. His eyes, in turn, kept returning to her. She was carefree and the way that she danced showcased her joy with life. Adrien caught her singing along at several different points, and fought a smile, knowing she was a fan of their band.

After their set, Adrien separated from the group to talk to Plagg, sharing his excitement, and gushing a little bit about the girl he had seen in the audience. He was still on the high as he walked into the holding room, where his bandmates were, when his world came crashing down. The girl, the one he had fallen a little in love with the first time their eyes met, was there, hands on Luka's chest, practically sticking her head under the chestpiece of his costume. The spurt of jealousy came out of the blue, and he growled at her. "Just couldn't wait to put your hands all over a celebrity, could you? Any one was good enough."

The girl jumped back, a blush crossing her face, making her look even more beautiful, and Adrien was cursing himself internally. Her eyes looked him up and down, and then dismissed him, as she turned back to Luka, and started talking about ways to improve the functionality of their costumes. Then it hit him… this was their designer. She really was talented. He started studying her dress, wondering if she had made it. Once she had finished taking care of his bandmate's costumes, she turned to him, fire blazing in her bluebell eyes.

She opened her mouth, and he flinched back in anticipation of his well deserved telling off, but what he heard instead left him stunned. "Your bell… is that a zipper? These seams are fantastic! Leather is so hard to sew. I was noticing earlier that you have pockets, too! That's just amazing! Whomever made this, really knows their craft!"

He was thrilled at the compliment to his friend, but completely taken aback by her enthusiasm. Most designers he'd met were quick to trash other people's creations. Her cheer when he expected disdain left him a little flustered. "A f-f-friend of mine who is in the f-f-fashion industry." He rushed to add, "I assume you are the one who m-m-made the costumes for the others? They are f-f-fabulous."

He thought her smile had lit up the venue before, but up close, and under a direct complement she took his breath away. In that moment he truly believed that he would do anything to make her smile like that again. He snapped to attention, when he realized that she was speaking once again, her voice wrapping around him, making him think of sunny days and picnics.

"Thank you Monsieur Noir. I hope to be a designer one day, and making these costumes for my friends, to get them noticed in that competition that XY held, was so much fun!"

Rose mentioned that Marinette was in their class at school, and that she had, indeed, made the dress she was wearing. As more students from Marinette's class entered, Chat found himself staring at her from the sidelines. She was free with her smiles, and friendly with everyone. He was afraid to approach her, she was just too perfect.

At one point Luka pulled Chat aside and asked him point black what was going on with him and Marinette. Chat shook his head, and denied anything was going on, in fact he'd barely spoken to her. At that, Luka smirked and told him that he would fix that.

Before Chat could object, or even really grasp what was happening, Luka had grabbed his elbow and steered him towards the group that Marinette was a part of. He was introduced to everyone, including Alya who ran a music blog. She started asking him a ton of questions about his background, all of which he refused to answer, or gave only vague answers, as he desperately strained to hear what Luka was saying to Marinette.

When Marinette rejoined the group, Luka hovering at her shoulder, her eyes were sparkling. "We should celebrate! Who wants to go for ice cream tomorrow?"

Chat nodded eagerly, noticing the subtle shake of his head that Luka was offering to the others in the group. Marinette was oblivious to Luka's actions, and her smile dimmed a little as each of her friends offered an excuse as to why they couldn't make it. Luka dropped a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her look up at him. "Looks like it is just going to be you and Chat this time, but we will all have to get together soon." Marinette's smile turned radiant again as she turned back to him. "It's a date! I'll see you tomorrow at 11am."

Feeling the blush steal over his face, he knew that his heart already belonged to her. Conversation continued on around him, but he heard none of it, instead, watching Marinette, smiling and chatting, the butterflies in his stomach kicking up everytime she laughed, a happy giggle that drew him in time and again.

It was time to leave much sooner than Adrien was ready for, and he was ecstatic, walking home in the crisp breeze. He had wanted to walk Marinette home, but she had left with the music blogger, who was spending the night at her house. He wondered, on his walk, what it would be like to have friends like that. People his own age who he could go and visit, who he could talk to about anything (he'd overheard them debating the best macaron flavor), who cared about him as a person, not just how he looked, or how much money his family had.

His father was currently out of town, and his bodyguard was much more lenient with him, never reporting back to his father, as long as he was with someone trustworth, like Alexandre Plagg. When Adrien entered the mansion grounds and switched out of his Chat Noir clothes, he texted Plagg about meeting Marinette for ice cream tomorrow. His friend texted him back excited, and told Adrien that he would swing by around 10 to give him time to get ready. As Adrien lay down that night, all he dreamed about was Marinette.

The next morning he was awake with the sun, truly excited to be meeting up with Marinette. He started thinking of ways that he could court her, to get her to fall in love with him as much as he was with her. By the time Plagg arrived, he was a bundle of nerves. They walked out together, stopping in a secluded spot for Adrien to become Chat Noir.

Once he was dressed in leather, Chat took his leave from Plagg, and nervously headed towards the park where he said that he would meet Marinette. When he spotted her, he was sure she could hear his heart beating out of his chest. The way the sunlight shone on her hair, it glowed almost blue, and her eyes sparkled. The smile she gave when she saw him had his heart stopping, only to restart at twice its normal speed as she got closer.

Completely oblivious to his cardiac difficulties, Marinette threw her arms around him in a quick hug. When she pulled back she saw that every part of him that she could see was bright red. She laughed at him without malice, tucking her arm through his, and suggesting they go in search of some ice cream. The sound he made in response was unintelligible, but he smiled at her like she was his entire universe.

It was Marinette's turn to blush. She couldn't meet his eyes, but valiantly tried for conversation, her free right hand nervously smoothing the skirt of her pink polka-dotted sundress. Curious as to what would cause someone to run around wearing a catsuit, she asked him.

He looked down at the ground and stopped walking, the blush that had finally receded as he became used to the feel of her hand on his arm, returned in full force. This time his cheeks burned with shame rather than embarrassment. He led her to a secluded bench, where he encouraged her to sit. He sat next to her, close enough that they could talk softly, but with enough space that they were not touching. Drawing a deep breath, he started his story.

"I'm not allowed to leave the house, unless under specific instructions from my father. I'm either at home or at w-work. There is no in between. I have tutors that come to the house for my school. Until I started sneaking out as Chat Noir, I had one friend, and I think he works for my father. He pitied me, so he did his best to sneak me out whenever he could. At first it was just to museums and other educational places, but as Father put more trust in my friend, he oversaw our outings less and less, and my friend was able to take me to festivals and other activities. I tried to go out in a hoodie and a mask, but people thought I was some kind of criminal. Alexandre, he's my friend, made me this costume. Now people think I'm eccentric, but nobody is actually afraid of me. I'd never had a friend my own age until I joined Kitty Section. I mean, I'd met people at my age at work, but they were more acquaintances, and too afraid of my father to really talk to me." He sighed, miserably.

Marinette reached over the distance he had left between them, placing her hand comfortingly on his arm. He looked down at the contact, and then back up to meet her eyes, those beautiful blue orbs, that held so much compassion. Unsure of what else to say, Marinette squeezed his forearm and smiled softly. "I'll be your friend. I mean, I know I just met you and everything, and we kinda got off on the wrong foot, but you seem like a nice guy. So, let's be friends. My parents own the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Anytime you can get away, come on over. You are always welcome. How are you at video games?"

At that, he grinned. "I'm the best!"

Marinette stood and held out her hand to him, pulling him to his feet with a gentle tug. "Come on then. Let's go and find that ice cream, and then I'll show you who is the best at video games."

Laughing, truly laughing for the first time since he'd met her, he tightened his grip on her hand, interlacing their fingers. "Princess, you are on."

She glanced at their interlaced fingers, surprised, but made no move to pull away. The slight blush on her cheeks said that she didn't mind holding his hand. "Well. Let's go find that ice cream shall we? I hear Andre is on the Pont des Arts, and he is supposed to have the best ice cream in the city."

As they enjoyed their ice cream (peach and mint for her, blackberry and blueberry for him) they talked about themselves, getting to know each other. They had quite a bit in common, but they were also polar opposites in many ways, she the yin to his yang. They laughed and talked all the way back to Marinette's house, forgetting the awkwardness that had been there barely an hour before.

The bell over the door rang as they entered the empty shop, and Chat froze as a giant of a man approached him. The mountain of a man rumbled out a hello, before crushing the boy in a hug. Releasing the stunned young man, he lifted his daughter and spun her around. "Marinette! You brought us a young man!" His face turned serious for a minute. "A young man in a cat costume. And who are you?"

Adrien swallowed hard. "I'm Ch-chat Noir."

"Tom Dupain. Please call me Tom. Sabine! Come out here! Marinette's brought a young man home with her!" At his declaration, Marinette blushed scarlet to the roots of her hair. "Papa!"

A short, smiling woman entered, looking even more petite standing next to her husband. "Hello dear. I'm Sabine Cheng. Please call me Sabine. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

Marinette composed herself and answered before Adrien could figure out what was going on. "Not at the moment Maman. We just had ice cream. Maybe in a little while. I'm going to go kick his butt at Ultimate Mecha Strike IV." Her mother laughed as Marinette kissed her cheek and beckoned a somewhat shell shocked Adrien to follow her up the stairs. With a shy wave at her parents, he followed her up to her room.

They played several games of UMS. He lost all of them, badly, but Marinette's victory dance was so adorable, he couldn't bring himself to care. An hour or so into their gaming, Marinette's dad had brought them up a snack. Marinette had thanked him without even looking away from the game, but Chat had, which had led to a very swift victory on her part. Groaning in mock despair, he had allowed himself to be consoled with a croissant that her father had brought up. His little moan of pleasure at the first bite led to his confession that he wasn't often allowed sweets, and Marinette promised him as many sweets as he wanted whenever he came by to visit.

The day wore on, and Chat admitted that he probably should head home soon. Marinette walked him downstairs, and pushed up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, just as he turned towards her. Their lips met, and neither could contain the little shiver of pleasure that tickled its way down their spines. It was only moments, but felt like an eternity later that the pair broke apart, eyes wide, and breath coming in short gasps.

With a promise that he would be back to see her as soon as he could, Chat Noir, disappeared into the night, full of wonder, and stories to tell his friend, Alexander Plagg.

Over the next several weeks, Chat visited Marinette whenever he could. There was quite a bit of hand holding and snuggling, and several sweetly stolen kisses. The pair talked about anything and everything, Chat longing to know what life was like in the real world, and Marinette, giggling, explained things like public toilets and homework.

Marinette was happier than she had ever been. She loved Chat Noir with her whole heart, a heart that broke a little whenever he would ask her about something that seemed so commonplace to her, whether it was a dessert or a game. She'd had to explain rock, paper, scissors to him, when they couldn't decide on a movie to watch, they'd ended up never putting the movie on, instead playing the game for the next hour. She loved the wonder in his eyes as he experienced things for the first time, and she saw the world made new, as she saw things with him, the joy shared.

Her heart broke a little with every new thing she realized he hadn't experienced, and she felt anger towards parents who never allowed him to experience the world. He took lessons, Chinese, piano and fencing, all with private tutors that came to his house, and he had a tutor for all things academic. He rarely was allowed to interact with people his own age, and when he did, it was people his parents approved of, kids who had similar upbringing to himself, and had equally limited access to the outside world. One was a newer acquaintance, whom his fencing master had paired him against as a challenge, both parties being equally young and talented. The other he had been almost entirely cut off from, since she started attending school a few years earlier, and was no longer considered a good influence on him.

He said that his mother had passed away a few years ago, and when that happened, his father, who had never been the most doting of parents, had completely withdrawn into himself, leaving Chat completely alone, except for lessons. He completely and intentionally didn't mention any of the modeling shoots that he did, lest he give away his identity, but he didn't have much interaction there, nobody wanting to get too friendly with the pampered son of the designer, who was always given special treatment.

Marinette's parents, too, seemed to understand how lonely the boy was, and he was always made to feel welcome whenever he was able to show up. He was invited to family dinners, and seemed to blossom under the parental affection that Tom and Sabine offered him without hesitation. While they never pressured him to reveal himself, they did mention to Marinette that she might, one day, want to know, just in case of potential repercussions.

Between the two, their relationship was progressing. Chat was still rehearsing, a bit sporadically, with Kitty Section, and Marinette attended many of their rehearsals, as well, so Chat walked her home afterwards. There was much speculation, and more than a few friendly wagers on the relationship between the young designer and their part-time keyboardist, but as neither party ever confirmed or denied that there was anything more than a budding friendship between them, no money exchanged hands.

The months passed, and Chat Noir became more comfortable in his dual life, more comfortable with the Dupain-Chengs and very comfortable with Marinette. One of his favorite pastimes was baking with her after the bakery was closed. Once she'd learned that he had very little idea where food even came from, Marinette took it upon herself to teach him how to cook. He was an absolute disaster in the kitchen to start with, but when he realized it was just like chemistry, he was a quick study and really started to enjoy himself.

Soon, Chat and Marinette were cooking family dinners for her parents, always being met with enthusiastic praise, or gentle criticism, always with a suggestion as to what could be improved. Chat loved receiving the suggestions, and strove to make something that the people he believed to be the best cooks in Paris would be proud to serve.

The relationship between the two teens progressed, much in the way of typical teen relationships, and shy, sweet kisses turned more passionate, and hands did more than hold each other. Chat, who often removed his gloves to cook, eat and game, left them off when he spent time alone with Marinette, the temptation to feel her skin against the pads of his fingers overriding the thought that his identity might be revealed by his hands.

Marinette enjoyed the time she got to spend with her boyfriend. It was true that she couldn't tell anyone that she had a boyfriend, but she loved spending time with him. The cooking classes she gave him were fun, and he still looked around furtively any time he reached for a sugar or dairy laden treat. He'd filled out in the time that he'd been spending with them. Not that he'd gained an ounce of fat, but he had shot up a few inches, and his muscles were much more defined.

Early in their relationship, Chat had gone out and bought a mobile phone, something that his father had refused to get him, not that he actually had anyone to call, and the pair texted on a regular basis. When Chat had messaged Marinette in a panic saying that he couldn't come over, because he couldn't get his Chat costume zipped up, Marinette had pointed out that they wouldn't exactly be out in public and he'd come over in black jeans and a black hoodie, mask still firmly in place.

Adrien talked with Plagg about the possibility of a new costume, considering the rate he was growing, they decided it was best to hold off for a little while, until he plateaued a bit. Plagg was thrilled that Adrien was getting out, and was always there to offer suggestions and advice, and play the role of an older brother, and was as excited as Adrien every time he learned something new.

Tom and Sabine trusted their daughter, and while they didn't truly understand why she would spend so much time with a young man whose face she'd never seen, they understood young love, and allowed the pair in her room, unchaperoned.

On one such evening, the pair were snuggled up, watching a movie in a blanket fort, another new experience for Chat, Marinette spending more time watching Chat than watching the movie, enjoying his reactions. She was playing with his hair, tracing his real ears (he no longer wore the cat ones when he visited her), and the curve of his chin. He turned to look at her, his green eyes sparkling, a smile curving his lips upwards.

As Marinette traced the edge of his mask, her smile slipped a little. Noticing, Chat asked her what was wrong. She shook her head, and denied it, but he pressed. "Chat, you know I love you. We've been together for almost a year now, and I've loved every moment of it, but I don't understand why I can't see your face. I understand that you can't tell me your name. I know you've said your father can't know, but I am really struggling with all this dishonesty."

This was something that Adrien had been wrestling with for a few months now. He truly loved Marinette, he had from the first moment he saw her, and that feeling had only grown in the time that he spent with her. He knew that he could trust her, and so he reached up to pull away his mask. As his fingers touched it, Marinette covered his hand with hers. "I don't want to guilt you into anything."

Chat smiled at her. "You're not. It's something that I've been thinking about for a while now. I want you to know my name, to know who I am. I think everything else will make sense if you do."

He squeezed her hand, then let it go in order to reach up for the mask. Slowly, he slid it up and over his head. His eyes were on the mask clenched in his fingers, but when he heard her gasp, he looked up. Her eyes were darting between his face and her bulletin board, that contained a variety of fashion photos taken from magazines, many of which were his.

Her hand reached out to cup his cheek, as her thumb traced his cheekbone. "Adrien." Marinette breathed his name, and leaned forward, and placed a whisper soft kiss on his lips. Before he even had a chance to react, she pulled back and met his eyes. "Thank you for trusting me. I DO understand. And Chat? Um, Adrien? This changes nothing. I still love you."

This time their kiss lasted longer, and when they pulled apart, they were both smiling, hearts lighter.


	3. Week 3 - Talents

**Week 3: Talents**

_Author's Note: The three of us saw this prompt and started to toss around what a talent show at Dupont might possibly be like, given the creativity of the students in Adrien's class. Besides letting us channel our inner teenagers, it turned into an amazing opportunity to explore whether Miraculous holders might exhibit latent talents of their superhero personas. And before you ask, only CM tested each of these scenarios; Lyra and I waited in the wings with fire extinguishers and first aid kits. (Thanks for taking one for the team!) _

_CM: You know… Someone should have mentioned that fire-breathing takes years of practice! _

_Ep: We had a talent show in my school, but somehow, the judges didn't think watching someone write a story was worth any sort of award. _

_CM: Ep has had a goal since we started writing together back in May that we would write a story that topped 10,000 words. I am pleased to say that this story does that._

_Ep: (whispering) Don't tell her - next time, it'll be 15,000..._

* * *

Adrien listened to the students in the class argue about which of them had the best talent with silent amusement. "Best," of course, being subjective. Kim's unique skill of squirting milk out of his tear ducts after inhaling it in through his nose seemed to currently be in top place, closely followed by Rose's apparent ability to eat several insanely hot peppers without throwing up. Adrien considered his own personal talents in comparison.

Years spent in isolation had afforded him more than plenty of opportunities to develop his own talents, although he doubted pen twirling nor the fact that he could solve any Rubik's cube one-handed in under 20 seconds would win this kind of competition. He highly suspected his hip-hop dancing prowess - thanks to hours of practice mimicking YouTube videos - or his insanely amazing punning skills would be of asset here. Even the fact that he could stand statuesque for hours while on photoshoots wasn't nearly impressive enough.

_What could Adrien Agreste do that was unique and different?_

While he'd been mulling over his options to be considered against eye-duct-squirting, he'd missed the shift in conversation. It was Alya's hands slamming against her desk that shook him out of his musings.

"That's a great idea! A class talent show!" Her voice was extremely excited, a sentiment that seemed to be agreed on by the rest of the class - at least from the gleam in everyone's eyes.

Shooting a quick glance over at Marinette, he wasn't completely surprised to see her drifting off into her familiar lost in thought look, glazing over as she faded into a dream world. Probably trying to figure out what talent she could use in a show. Beside him, Nino looked like he had a specific plan coming together. And who knew what that impish look on Alya's face meant.

Getting Miss Bustier on board was easy, and before the end of the day, arrangements had been made to hold a talent show in the gymnasium in a week's time. On his way out of the classroom en route to his Chinese tutor, Adrien passed a small clutch of his friends eagerly discussing the show, tossing around ideas for what talent they would be sharing. Sighing slightly, he felt no closer to deciding what he would do himself.

He was blocked from leaving the room, however, as Chloe was standing in the way. From the smile she was wearing, he knew she was about to make one of her typically over-the-top announcements to the class, and he paused, warily wondering if Chat Noir would soon be needed.

"I don't have time to chat," she said smugly. "I'm off to meet with Ladybug."

"You are?" Adrien said quizzically, head spinning around to see if he'd missed an akuma alert.

"Yes," she said, smiling wider. "I'm having her to loan me my Miraculous; I need to practice for the show." She leveled her gaze on her fellow students who, predictably, had turned to see what she was saying. Playing to her audience, Chloe continued. "My talents are best expressed when I'm Queen Bee."

Marinette appeared at Adrien's shoulder. "I can't believe she'd let you do that," she said to Chloe firmly, narrowing her eyes in disapproval. "That's not what the Miraculous are for."

"How would you know, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe rejoindered. "It's not like she chose _you_to be part of her team." She looked at the ceiling airily. "We have a special friendship, Ladybug and I."

"Not likely," Marienette breathed, so quietly that Adrien only heard it with the residual enhanced feline hearing he had when not transformed. He tried not to laugh, for he knew from his first-hand experience as Chat that Marinette was right.

"Chloe, I'm with Marinette," Adrien said. "There must be other talents you could… dazzle us with?" he said, flashing her his model smile and trying to redirect her.

It didn't work. "Nope," she laughed. "Good luck," she cackled as she swept from the room, leaving her muttering classmates in her wake.

"Ladybug will never agree to that," Adrien said.

"No," Marinette replied, reminding Adrien she was still standing beside him.

He turned toward her to respond, and picked up a faint whiff of her personal scent. The longer he was Chat Noir, the more he found some of his enhanced feline talents bled over into his civilian persona. It was a tri-tone of exotic spices that always seemed vaguely familiar to him. Adrien let that thought pass, though, as a new one popped into his head. Maybe Chloe was on to something: while she was going about it wrong, as usual, the more he thought about it, he had some unique abilities as Chat that might be impressive on stage - and, possibly, one or two that if done right, might not be revealing of his alter ego.

"-doing?" Marinette was asking him.

He blinked. Adrien had been so lost in thought he'd missed her question. "Sorry?"

She nodded her head at Chloe's exit. "I asked what you would be doing, given how Miss High and Mighty has thrown down the gauntlet."

Adrien smiled crookedly, and ran a hand along his neck. "It depends. Would you be willing to assist me?"

"M-m-me? Assist you?" Marinette squeaked. "Of course! I'd love - I mean, I would be happy to help! What do you need?"

"I'm still working it out," he said, "but I'll be by the bakery after dinner if I can get away from the mansion."

"Okay," she smiled dreamily.

He could see her eyes had gone unfocused and he continued on to pull her back. "What are you thinking of doing?"

"Me?" she said, snapping back. "I've not really thought about it yet…" she said, then her eyes suddenly moved to the now-empty doorway Chloe had occupied. "Well, actually, I might have an idea, but I need to try it out first."

"Maybe you can show me tonight?" Adrien offered as he started out the door.

"Yeah…" Marinette said, dreamy look back in her eyes. "Tonight…"

Adrien managed to get through his afternoon and early evening tutoring and piano practice, and managed to convince Nathalie to allow Gorilla to take him back to the Bakery - but only after extracting a promise that he return in a timely fashion. That translated into Gorilla parking at the curb and standing beside the sedan, an unsubtle reminder that Adrien was on borrowed time.

Marinette met him at the entrance to the shop. "Adrien," she gushed. "What get you can - I mean, sorry, what can I get you?"

He eyed the pastries on display and located the items he'd mentally put on his shopping list. Mindful of the sentinel outside, he had Marinette quickly fill two boxes full of a variety of Dupain-Cheng goodies. As she tied the boxes together and slid them to him over the counter, she asked: "These are for the talent show?"

"Yes," he smiled. "I think. I'm going to practice tonight; if it goes the way I think it will, I'll need your help to pull it off on stage." He paused. "If you're still willing."

"Y-y-yes," she said.

"Did you decide yourself?"

Adrien caught a twinkle to Marinette's eye as she said, simply, "I have. I'll also be trying it out tonight, too."

"Cool!" he smiled as he took the boxes and returned to the mansion with Gorilla.

Safely ensconced back in his bedroom, Adrien placed the pastry boxes on his coffee table, and then called for his transformation. Once he was Chat Noir, he methodically went through each of the baked goods he'd purchased, memorizing the scent signature of each item. Feeling reasonably certain he could name any of them as Chat with his eyes closed, he dropped his transformation and tried to repeat the process as Adrien.

He found his suspicions were confirmed: while the specific scent notes were not as robust to him as Adrien, he managed to identify most of the pastries on his first pass through the boxes. After a few more transformation/de-transformation cycles, he nailed all of them successfully and repeatedly - at least until Plagg managed to eat the cheese danish. At that point, he called it a night and turned in.

As he drifted off to sleep, he decided he might be skirting the line slightly with his Miraculous. Unlike Chloe, he wasn't going to _explicitly_misuse his abilities as Chat for the talent show, but he was reasonably certain that Ladybug might take a dimmer view of his actions. He wondered once more if she was a student at Dupont, and mused further whether his part of the talent show might reveal a little too much to his partner. He smiled as he thought it wouldn't exactly be the worst thing in the universe should she catch Adrien red handed.

Shortly after Adrien left the bakery, Marinette told her parents that she was heading to bed. As the sky darkened, she saw what she called 'The Bee-Signal' shining from the roof of the Grand Paris Hotel. Knowing what it was that Chloe wanted, Marinette sighed before she called to Tikki. "What do you think? Should I let her borrow it? Maybe extract a promise from her in exchange?"

Tikki nodded. "It wouldn't hurt to talk to her. Especially with how long you put off talking to her about no longer being able to be Queen Bee. She would get the opportunity one last time without any danger to herself from Hawkmoth. You would just have to make sure that she will return it, knowing that it would be her last time out."

"Strange as it sounds, I trust Chloe. She may be mean, but there is never any doubt as to what she is thinking. She is honest, unflinchingly so. I think this might actually be good for both her and Pollen."

"I'm proud of you, Marinette. And I agree, Chloe does show signs of becoming a better person when she is Queen Bee. It's a shame that there isn't a way for her to continue."

Marinette called for her transformation, and Ladybug followed a circuitous route to land behind Chloe on the roof of her father's hotel. Only because she caught her by surprise is she able to see the relief in Chloe's eyes when she sees who is behind her. Turning off the Bee-Signal, Chloe walks towards Ladybug, looking almost nervous.

Her voice is quiet, and decidedly un-Chloe-like as she looks up at Ladybug. "Can I ask a favor of you? We have a talent show coming up at school. I was wondering if you would let me use Pollen for that."

Looking shocked, Ladybug steps back. "Are you intending to use venom on your class?"

Chloe's expression was equally stunned. "NO! Of course not. I was just going to transform and then… and then… actually, I hadn't really thought of anything beyond transforming…"

Placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder, Ladybug looked the heiress in the eyes. "Chloe. You know that the Miraculous are to be used for serious purposes. Showing off for your friends does not come under the guise of a serious purpose." The blonde's head dropped, her eyes lowering to the ground. "However, I can see that you have been really trying hard to become a better person. You are the only person I know who has turned down Hawkmoth's offer of being akumatized. I regret the fact that I cannot offer you the bee miraculous more often, even if it is for your own safety."

There were tears shimmering in Chloe's eyes as she looked back up at Ladybug. "If you can come up with a talent worthy of Queen Bee, then you may have your miraculous for the talent show."

Chloe's face lit up in a genuine smile, and she threw her arms around Ladybug, enveloping her in a hug. "Thank you Ladybug! I won't let you down!"

Ladybug smiled at Chloe. "I will come by to check on you in two days. Let me know then what you will be doing at the talent show. And Chloe? I'm proud of you. We aren't any of us perfect, but you have definitely come a long way."

With those words, Ladybug flung out her yo-yo and swung out into the night. Landing on her balcony and dropping her transformation, Marinette flopped down onto her bed, dragging a pillow up to her face, muffling her frustrated moan. "Tikki! What have I just agreed to?"

Tikki just laughed at her. "You've done a very kind thing. We will see what Chloe will do for the competition. Now… what are YOU going to do?"

Marinette grinned impishly at her kwami. "Actually, Chloe gave me an idea. I'm going to do yo-yo tricks."

Tikki rolled her eyes at Marinette but thought better of saying anything.

Needing a fresh round of pastries for training the following evening, as well as an opportunity to enlist Marinette as his on-stage help at the talent show, Adrien asked once more if he could visit the Bakery. Nathalie turned down his request, however; so, after retiring to his room following dinner, he staged his cell phone in its dock, playing one of his random piano pieces. It provided cover for him to transform to Chat Noir and vault into the early evening for a quick visit with Marinette.

Chat didn't normally drop in unannounced on Marinette, but as he neared the Bakery, he also realized it would draw more attention were Adrien to suddenly appear without his driver. Landing in a crouch on the roof opposite the Bakery, Chat quickly ran through some possible reasons why he was suddenly interested in baked goods; none of them provided enough cover for his alter-ego.

Perplexed, he was staring out at the rooftop patio and watched Marinette appear from her skylight, watering can in one hand. She happened to also be looking in his direction, and with a smile, waved at him to come over. Happy to oblige, he vaulted over to her and landed with a soft rubbery thump on her rooftop. "Good evening," he said with a formal bow.

"Chat," she replied with a wider smile as she turned her attention to the potted plants. "What brings you to the Bakery this evening?"

Smiling as he realized he might be able to turn this to his advantage, Chat made a show of sniffing the air. "Macarons," he said smugly. "Lemon? And…" he sniffed again. "Coconut?"

Marinette turned toward him. "Macarons?" she asked.

"Being baked, I should think," he replied. "I could smell them from a few blocks out." He sniffed again. "And you had petit fours in the oven earlier?"

Marinette's eyes bugged out. "Earlier this evening, yes," she confirmed. "You can still smell them?"

"Yes," he said. He took another deep sniff, and this time fully picked up Marinette's multi-layered scent signature of exotic spices, far more defined to him as Chat. Not for the first time did he find how similar her personal scent notes were to Ladybug; while the two were different, he'd often wondered if he'd be able to tell the difference if they were ever side-by-side. He smiled at Marinette. "Any chance you have some leftovers?"

"I'll see what I can rustle up for you, kitty," she laughed.

Chat tested his pastry memorization a few more times during his short visit with Marinette, then managed to wrangle a small care package that he toted back to the mansion. De-transforming, he spent a few more hours refining his scent library before deciding he was well-prepped for the show.

Between periods at Dupont the following day, Adrien caught Marinette. "So," he said carefully, "are you still open to helping me at the talent show?"

She blushed slightly, but to her credit, managed to get out a complete sentence (such as it was): "Yes."

Adrien smiled. "Awesome." He paused, and looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "Here's my plan. I'll have Nathalie send over some cash from Father. Then, you can randomly choose some pastries from the shop and bring them to the show. I'm going to bring along the scarf Father gave me for my birthday to use as a blindfold, and you'll pick out something for me to identify."

Marinette had blanched slightly at the mention of the scarf but recovered quickly. "I can do that," she said, and her eyes suddenly skipped over Adrien to someone entering the room.

He turned and saw Chloe had breezed in with Sabrina in tow, and found himself frowning. "I sure hope Ladybug didn't agree to loan her the Miraculous," he muttered as he turned back to Marinette. "Anyway, thanks for helping me! This is going to be great."

Marinette smiled, despite the lump forming in her gut at Adrien's words regarding Chloe's miraculous. She wasn't completely sure that giving Chloe the miraculous was a good idea, but felt it was probably alright, especially if Tikki supported it.

The next evening, Ladybug was found, once again, on the roof of the Grand Paris Hotel, talking to Chloe. Chloe was sitting on the loungers by the pool, and Ladybug sat down next to her. Chloe didn't look up at her. "I can't think of any talent that I would need to be Queen Bee to do. I-I guess I don't need Pollen after all."

Ladybug put a comforting arm around Chloe's shoulders. "What talents were you considering?"

Chloe shrugged. "Believe it or not, there isn't much that I do really well, at least good enough to perform in public. I considered giving someone a makeover, but that would require a volunteer, and there is no guarantee that I would get one of those."

Ladybug considered the people in her class, and shook her head. "I can see how much you've changed, but I'm not sure your classmates will be confident enough to accept the new you yet. Did you have any other talents in mind?"

Sighing, Chloe nodded dejectedly. "I've had a private dance instructor for the past eight years from the Paris Opera. I'm a good dancer. I'd be better with Pollen, but I don't need her to be amazing. Thank you for coming back Ladybug, but I guess I don't need her after all."

Contemplating the girl in front of her, Ladybug was silent for a full minute. Chloe watched her as she seemed to be having an internal discussion with herself. Eventually, the superheroine looked up and met Chloe's eyes. "I think that a dance routine would be an excellent way to go, and I think that the best way to end your dance routine would be with your transformation sequence, don't you?"

Chloe's eyes grew huge as she realized what Ladybug had just said. "Do you mean it?" When Ladybug nodded, Chloe threw herself at her spotted teammate, thanking her profusely, and hugging her tightly.

"I'm proud of you, Chloe. You aren't always perfect, but seeing how far you've come and how much you are trying, I think you deserve this. It would be hypocritical of me to expect you to change overnight. I'm not always Ladybug. I can't be, but being Ladybug has made me a better me. I think being Queen Bee has made you a better Chloe, too. If I were able to, I would volunteer for the makeover, but I think the dance is the best choice for you."

Fighting her tears, Chloe looked at Ladybug. "Thank you. That means so much coming from you. And if people can't see how amazing I am, then they're not worth it. I can't see you being anything other than Ladybug, though."

Laughing, Ladybug shook her head. "Trust me, underneath this costume, I'm just an ordinary girl. I'm not anything special. I screw up, just like everyone else. We all do. Except maybe Chat Noir. He is who he is, and I don't think that changes, in or out of the suit. Doing the right thing, just isn't a struggle for him, like it is for the rest of us." Standing, she stretched and smiled at Chloe. I'll swing by the morning of the talent show, and meet you here after school that day."

Chloe nodded, and Ladybug groaned internally at the hour she would have to get up at in order to pick up the miraculous from Master Fu and deliver it to Chloe before school. With a smile and a wave, she launched herself off of Chloe's rooftop and off towards her own balcony.

Thanks to her circuitous route, she was spotted as she headed back home, and hailed by a shadow that detached itself from a nearby chimney, and resolved into a black cat superhero. Smiling at her partner, Ladybug stepped towards him, her hand reaching out towards him. Once he got close enough, he swayed into her touch, just in time for her to smack his bicep and call "Tag! You're it!" before racing off across the rooftops.

Moments later, a grin split his face, and he raced after her. The two teens spent the next hour racing around the city, letting off some steam and letting their laughter ring around the rooftops. When their breath started coming in pants, they collapsed together on a rooftop that had a stunning view of the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower.

Looking over at his partner, Chat lounged back against the brickwork behind them. The gentle breeze of the evening shifted slightly, and Ladybug's unique notes drifted toward him. He tried not to close his eyes and lose himself in the exotic fragrance. Instead, he asked: "So what brings you out tonight? It's not often I see you out without an akuma on the loose."

Ladybug looked sheepish. "Actually, I was visiting Chloe. She had talked with me a few days ago about loaning her the Bee Miraculous for a school talent show. I told her that I would come by tonight to follow up with her. You caught me leaving the Grand Paris Hotel."

Chat's eyes went wide. "You were visiting her? Are you guys actually best friends then? How did she take it when you told her no. I know she'd been feeling a bit left out since you told her that it was just too unsafe for her to continue becoming Queen Bee."

An actual blush stained Ladybug's cheeks. "Um, well, actually, I said yes." Chat's emerald cat eyes shot to hers, disbelieving. "This would be a chance to give her the miraculous when she isn't in danger. Hawkmoth won't be on the lookout for her, and she successfully fought off being akumatized."

"But what is her talent going to be? Freezing her classmates with Venom?" Looking affronted when Ladybug burst into wild peals of laughter, he folded his arms and tried to look grumpy, while secretly enjoying the musical sound of her giggles.

"That's exactly what I asked her!" Ladybug gasped out, calming down enough to fill Chat in on her conversations with Chloe and Tikki, and the reasons why she said yes to the Miraculous. By the end, Chat was nodding along.

"That makes perfect sense, Milady. She definitely is changing for the better. Thank you for seeing it, and helping her continue to being the best person she can be."

Ladybug nodded and smiled at him. They sat companionably for a little while longer, before heading back to their respective homes. Halfway back to the mansion, Chat dropped to a random rooftop; after the impromptu game of tag, his stomach had started to seriously rumble. Knowing there was hardly anything of substance at home, he grinned a private grin and shifted his direction slightly. A few minutes later, the merry lights of the Bakery rooftop patio came into view, lifting Chat's heart and partially quieting his stomach.

Marinette was, oddly, coming around the half wall opposite from her skylight and seemed to be chatting to herself. He was too far out to pick up much more than the peal of laughter that matched the merry smile he saw on her face. Chat's existence, for all of his outward exuberance, was a rather lonely one, and seeing his friend happy washed away a little of the melancholy that had descended after parting ways with Ladybug. Two leaps later, he dropped onto Marinette's railing with a soft _thump_and a gentle tinkle from his bell.

From the way she was continuing to smile, Marinette had clearly seen him approaching. "Kitty," she said warmly. "It's late for you to be on the prowl."

Masked eyes crinkled with cheer. "I'm on the hunt for sure, Princess," he said lowly, causing Marinete's eyes to pop open. "I fear there are-" he edited on the fly, realizing that to ask for macarons might be a bit too revealing, "-Belgian Chocolate croissants close by that are unaware of their imminent demise."

He watched as her eyes danced with merriment. "You have some strange ideas regarding prey," she laughed. "But you are in luck," she added, turning to the tea tray balanced on her table.

Chat smiled, for he had smelled them on his approach to the balcony. Gratefully, he accepted one from the plate as she offered it to him. "Thank you, Princess," he said between mouthfuls. "In all seriousness, I needed to refuel. Ladybug gave me a run for my money tonight."

The mirth in Marinette's eyes grew deeper. "Indeed," she said, appearing to be unsurprised. "I imagine it did both of you good in any event."

Chat nodded and nabbed the second pastry she offered to him. "For sure," he smiled. "Anyway, thanks for the food!"

Marinette tried hard not to say anything as he dusted the crumbs off of his dark costume; clearly her partner had been more famished than he'd let on and not for the first time wondered about his alter ego. He generally ate her out of house and home during his irregular visits. "Anytime," she said.

He paused as he prepared to launch into the night. "I'm going to hold you to that, Marinette," he said with a wink, and then he was off into the darkness, his tail flapping behind him.

The day of the talent show arrived, and by agreement, was to be held during the final period of the day. As Adrien came down the steps from his final class of the day, he didn't need his enhanced feline hearing to pick up the excited buzz from his schoolmates. He tried to use their energy to bolster his own; Hawkmoth had thrown an early-morning akuma attack at him, and it had been a particularly difficult one for Chat and Ladybug to clear. Adrien felt like he'd been playing catch up ever since.

Eagerly, everyone took their seats and expectantly waited for the show to start. Nino took his usual position next to Adrien, with Alya off to his side. Marinette paused for an uncomfortably long time before taking the open seat on Adrien's other side. She was flustered a little more than normal in his presence; what troubled him more was her empty-handedness. "Uh, Marinette… did you bring the box?"

Almost as though she were out of breath, she took a moment to compose herself. "F-f-fresh from the oven and backstage!" she managed to get out before her eyes landed on the light blue scarf he was wearing.

"Thanks," Adrien said unconvincingly, arching an eyebrow. Tom was generally instantly recognizable wherever he went, but Adrien was reasonably sure he'd not seen the burly baker on the grounds - certainly not within the hour. He'd hoped to surreptitiously sniff and pre-identify the items in the box; all he had now was a vaguely familiar fragrance he'd picked up before but couldn't place at that particular moment.

Mlle. Bustier called the class to attention, and the quiet mutterings that had been occuring slipped into silent attention. Smiling at her students, their teacher asked the group if they were ready. After receiving a resounding yes, she asked who wanted to go first. Two hands shot up… Kim and Chloe. Adrien smiled to himself. The only thing that surprised him was that Alix hadn't raised her hand, too.

Seeing the two who were volunteering to go first, Mlle. Bustier picked a name at random, and it was determined that Chloe would go first. In order to keep the show flowing smoothly, a quick program was written up, so that people would know where they came in the order. Chloe was to kick off the show, followed by Kim. Adrien was happy with his place, 6th in the lineup, not too close to the beginning, but not having to wait forever, either.

Chloe bounced up to the stage, dressed in a yellow and black velour long sleeved dance leotard, bringing to mind the costume of Queen Bee, but also screaming "Chloe Bourgeois" at the same time. The music started, a frantically paced piece by Rimsky-Korsakov, full of leaps and tumbles, evocative of an akuma battle. Chloe seemed very relaxed, almost joyful in her movements, and Adrien sat spellbound along with the rest of the class. As the piece reached its crescendo, a flash of yellow light overtook the stage, and the transformation from Chloe to Queen Bee was complete.

Silence filled the gymnasium, as Queen Bee stood there, chest heaving from exertion, one arm flung into the air. The stillness was broken by the sound of applause coming from his right, which was rapidly copied by the rest of the class. Adrien grinned. Of course, Marinette would start it, even though she had been the first to speak up in opposition when Chloe had originally stated that she would be getting her miraculous.

Adrien looked up at his oldest friend, still standing on the makeshift stage that they had set up for the talent show. There was something about her that reminded him of the girl he used to know, before she'd become petty and aloof. He winked at her giving her a thumbs up, and a pink touched her cheeks that had nothing to with exertion.

Turning slightly, he looked at Marinette out of the corner of his eye and saw her smiling at Chloe, almost with a sense of pride. As if she could feel the weight of his gaze upon her, Marinette turned to Adrien, smiling up at him. "Wow. She really is talented, isn't she. I'm glad I was wrong about Ladybug letting her use the miraculous."

From his other side, he heard Nino and Alya grumbling about the fact that Ladybug had trusted Chloe with the miraculous, but he couldn't blame them. He'd been aghast when Ladybug had told him that she planned to hand it over to Chloe, but his heart had swelled when she explained her reasoning.

He nodded at Marinette, agreeing with her assessment of Chloe's talent, and sat back at Kim took the stage, preparing to be amazed in a completely different kind of way.

Kim being second required some set up - a tarp to protect the stage and an abundance of milk. It was one of those moments that you watch in horror but can't tear your eyes from - milk streaming in fountain-esque spouts through his tear ducts. In truth, Adrien couldn't decide if he was incredibly impressed or extremely disturbed by the sight.

Finally, mercifully, it was over and the class all cheered Kim's milk-spouting prowess - especially Alix.

The time it took to clean up and set up for Nino, Adrien observed his classmates. They were all enjoying themselves. Marinette was up soon, and he could see her starting to bounce slightly in nervous anticipation. He wondered what she had prepared for them.

He shot her an encouraging smile, chuckling to himself a little when she went wide eyed in response.

Nino took the stage with a wide grin, Alya in his wake, carrying a box. Adrien had no idea what to expect from his friend, since everyone had attempted to keep their talents as secretive as possible. But the grin on Nino's face made Adrien a little nervous.

There was a combination of loud wolf whistles and vocal groans when Nino pulled his shirt over his head and left his torso bare.

"Put your shirt back on!" Alix yelled. "The only shirtless guys allowed around here are Kim and Adrien!"

Adrien choked a little, feeling himself blush in embarrassment. His eyes accidentally collided with Marinette's. Marinette who looked like she might pass out from a lack of air.

"Hey, Dudes. Prepare to be amazed. Alya, my beautiful assistant, if you don't mind," Nino gestured to the box that Alya had placed on the floor. Thankfully, this drew the attention back to the stage where it belonged. Adrien's curiosity was piqued now.

Alya looked almost wicked as she dramatically pulled a thin strip of wood from the box and moved herself over to where Nino stood. The two of them nodded to each other before Alya moved with incredible speed, swinging the wood like a baseball bat against Nino's chest. The resulting slap left everyone breathless and wincing. But Nino just grinned, a red welt forming where the strike had hit.

"Next!" he yelled, and Alya grinned again. This time the wood was a plank. Alya wasn't gentle as she swung it at her boyfriend. Nino was braced and ready, not even emitting a grunt as it made contact with his body.

Adrien was stunned at the unexpected show of strength from his friend. It wasn't until Nino lay on the floor with a cinder block across his chest and Alya poised with a sledgehammer that Adrien screamed for them to stop. He couldn't watch anymore. Miss Bustier seemed to shake herself before agreeing that their act wasn't particularly safe. Nino and Alya looked disappointed as they gathered their supplies and scurried off stage.

With a relieved sigh, Adrien was pleased to see Marinette take the stage. At first, she stood there awkwardly and unsure of herself. Slowly she pulled something out of her pocket and twiddled with it in her hand.

"Well, I'm not sure this will be very impressive following Nino, but… here goes." She cut herself off and began to move her hand. It took a moment to realize that she had a yo-yo dangling from her fingers. In fluid motions, she did trick after trick with the toy: walking the dog, a baby cradle, and many more that he didn't even know the names for. Suddenly there were two yo-yos, whirring in complete synchronization. It was mesmerizing to watch. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled with enjoyment as she concentrated on her movements. He sat blinking. He had no idea Marinette was a master with a yo-yo. Ladybug was the only other person he knew who could use one, and he had never seen her use it for anything other than business.

The whole class cheered loudly as Marinette bowed. Adrien pulled himself from his musings as she made her way back to her seat.

"That was amazing, Marinette," he said when she got close enough. She smiled brilliantly in response.

Nathanael dragged an easel with paper on it to the stage, asking the class to give him someone to draw. When Sabrina yelled out "Chloe," the class had all laughed and agreed. A true artist, Nathanael had Miss Bustier start a timer and got to work.

His pencils flew so quickly that they were almost invisible, a rough sketch coming to form on the page almost instantly. It was only a few minutes, but right before their eyes, Chloe appeared. Nathanael moved like lightning, switching out pencils for colour. In no time, blue eyes jumped from the paper, golden blonde hair, and a yellow sweater in vivid reality. He slammed his pencil down on the easel ledge and pointed at Miss Bustier.

"Three minutes, 21 seconds!" she announced and the class clapped.

"What do you think, Chloe?" called Nathanael. Everyone turned to look at their classmate, who was caught off guard enough to reveal an expression between amazement and shock before carefully schooling it to a cool acceptance.

"It will do," she admitted, flouncing her hair and pretending to turn her attention to her gold nail polish. Adrien smiled. That was about as good of a compliment as he'd ever heard from her.

"You're next, Adrien," Mrs. Bustier called and with a nod, he made his way to the stage. Leaning into his model talents, he strode to the center of the stage and stopped, then held out his hands to the audience.

Just as he was about to speak, he looked down and saw Marinette was no longer in her seat. That was part of the plan, but his smile faltered when he turned and saw she was not standing in the wings as they had agreed upon. Adrien had been so caught up in Nathanael's sketching, he'd not seen where she'd gone after her own performance. Hoping she was just momentarily indisposed, he went into full model mode, stretching out his act to buy some time.

"I, the Audacious Agreste, will now attempt to identify several randomly selected pastries," he cried as each hand grabbed an end of the scarf. "And I will do so while blindfolded!"

As the audience _ooh'd_and _ahh'd_, he ran from one side of the stage to the other, holding a hand to an ear to encourage a bit more raucousness - and trying to buy more time. For Marinette was still nowhere to be found. Just as he reached the center of the stage once more, he saw Alya look off to his side and nod, though her eyes were a bit wide with wonder. That, too, had been part of the plan, and he relaxed slightly.

With smooth, graceful movements, he slid the scarf from his neck and flapped it out, unexpectedly drawing a cheer from the audience. Cheeks flaming slightly at the sudden recollection of Alix's recommendation, he quickly whipped the scarf around his eyes, carefully tying it off with a flourish just as he'd practiced.

"And now, my beautiful assistant will randomly select the first pastry. Mademoiselle, if you please," he said grandly, bowing deeply with his hand outstretched toward where he hoped Marinette was standing. Belatedly, he realized it was a move he often did when transformed.

Soft footsteps padded toward him and for an odd moment he had a strange sense of déjà vu; it passed and his slightly-better-than-normal hearing heard the whisper of the cardboard as the Bakery box was opened and the crinkle of wax paper when a baked good was retrieved. Smiling widely, he made a big show of taking in the scent of the item that he could sense was just a half-meter in front of him, waving his hands as if they could waft the smells toward him faster. Clearly Marinette was messing with him, for the fabulous tones of his favorite treat indicated what her first choice from the box had been. "Oh, Mademoiselle, you tease me unmercifully. Passionfruit Macarons!"

The crowd erupted with cheers, and he smiled wider knowing he'd guessed correctly. As they clapped, Marinette rustled around in the box for his second test. He grandly sniffed once more, and picked up the tell-tale tart tones of citrus with a hint of buttercream. This was a recent addition, one that he'd sampled repeatedly the last time he was at the Bakery. "Key lime cupcake with lime buttercream frosting!" he cried.

Adrien couldn't help a genuine smile as the crowd roared with approval. Given what his fellow students demonstrated ahead of him, he'd grown less certain as he'd gotten closer to his slot that he'd be even remotely interesting. So far, so good.

He felt more than heard Marinette pad a bit closer and pull a third item from the box. With yet another exaggerated action, he took in the scent of vanilla, yeast, chocolate and butter; that exotic fragrance he'd caught earlier appeared for a moment, though. As overpowering as the butter-chocolate smell was, that exotic, spicy fragrance was nearly overwhelming it. It was frustratingly familiar to Adrien but also seemed out of place - or, at the very least, out of context. Kind of like Marinette and her yo-yo abilities-

With a nearly physical jolt, Adrien suddenly had the context he'd been missing. It hit him hard enough that he stumbled backwards a bit, and felt a gentle hand on his bicep.

"Adrien?" he heard Marinette whisper. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Adrien had absolutely no idea how to respond. He was _better_than okay. Sensing where Marinette was, he leaned in toward her and whispered towards her ear "I skipped lunch, and I guess I'm a bit more lightheaded than I thought. Can we eat these later?"

"Absolutely," she said, and he heard the smile in her voice.

"I'll drop by the Bakery after school," he replied quietly before raising his voice. "Pain au Chocolat!" he cried to the resounding, reverberating cheers of his audience.

Marinette presented him with another three items for an even half dozen of goodies, and though he'd identified each with a flourish, he mentally checked out. Bowing as he wrapped up, he returned to his seat trailing Marinette. She caught him smiling at her and gave him a quizzical glance.

"You were brilliant as always," he said. "Thank you for being my partner," he added, wondering if she'd pick up the double entendre.

"Of course," she smiled.

Politely he paid attention to the rest of his fellow students as they showcased their own talents, but internally he wanted to bolt for the exit. He tried not to sigh with relief when Mlle. Bustier brought the show to a close and dismissed the students for the weekend.

Adrien turned to Marinette as they stood to go. "I've got to clear it with Nathalie first, of course, but I'll see you in thirty?"

"Sure," she said. "And Adrien? Nice job with the pastries!" She jiggled the box at him as she turned to walk toward the exit.

"I'm looking forward to the celebration, Milady," he said quietly to her receding form, smiling his own private smile.

Adrien slipped away from the crowd of his departing classmates and started toward the locker rooms, pulling out his phone as he walked. Hoping to avoid a long conversation, he opted for texting Nathalie that he was going to a friends for the afternoon and might not be home for dinner. As he expected, she quickly replied that she would inform his father - but not without the admonition to be home at a reasonable hour, despite it being Friday night.

Stashing his school bag in his locker, he leaned his head against the cool metal of the door as he considered his next move. Knowing _something_, and then acting based on that knowledge were two totally different pathways. Adrien was well aware of how Ladybug revered the Golden Superhero Rule, so he had good reason to be cautious - though it was incredibly difficult not to bound out the window and throw that very caution to the wind.

Still, he figured it was in his favor that Marinette had chosen to do yo-yo tricks. She had to have known it to be as calculated a risk as his scent identification, though perhaps her yo-yo might have been a tad more obvious than his channeling a feline trait. Arriving at the Bakery to announce he now knew her secret, though, was likely to lead to hard feelings - or worse. Suddenly the joy of accidentally discovering who his partner's identity had given way to the real fear that if he didn't handle this right, he'd lose more than his friendship.

Calling for his transformation, he bounded toward the open locker room window once the green glow of transformation had faded. Grabbing his baton as he vaulted through the window, he rose up into the late afternoon sky before springing into the air. Somersaulting, he landed on a convenient roof; as he covered the short distance between Dupont and the Bakery, a part of his feline brain wondered how it was Marinette was so frequently late, given how close she lived to campus. That same part started to laugh when it dawned on him that more often than not, an unfortunately timed akuma was probably what had caused her tardiness - much as it had for Adrien.

By the time he'd arrived on the top of the building overlooking the Bakery, he found he was no closer to deciding how he wanted to proceed. Perched atop an antenna aerial, he had a clear view of the Bakery and the rooftop patio. Marinette wasn't out and about, which wasn't unusual given that she was expecting _Adrien_and not _Chat. _He smiled slightly, and redirected his superior feline eyes toward her bedroom; sure enough, the ghost of a figure was there, looking toward the street and the front entrance of the shop.

While he'd not truly formulated a plan, his initial intent had been to visit as Adrien; getting there as Chat was more of a convenience (and the ability to ditch his chaperone). But as he balanced atop the thin aluminum, he thought perhaps Chat might be a better visitor - though he couldn't have put a specific claw on the reason why. He waited another heartbeat or two, then launched himself back into the deep blue sky, easily arcing over the space between the two buildings. One brief baton-helicopter later, he landed on the patio in a cat-crouch with a rubbery _thump_.

He stayed crouched, his mane and feline ears angled toward the bedroom below him. Chat found himself smiling as he heard Marinette move to the ladder and up toward the skylight. Turning slightly, he greeted her quizzically smiling face as it appeared with his own megawatt smile.

"Chat?" she asked, still smiling but looking around him. "Is something wrong?"

He tried not to roll his masked green eyes. "Everyone seems to ask that when I appear unannounced," he said in good humor. "Is it the black costume? Maybe I should wear something that looks less ominous."

Marinette chuckled as she pulled herself all the way out of the skylight. "I think it has more to do with you generally only being around when there's an akuma, Chat." She paused. "Just so you know, I'm expecting someone - I'm keeping half an ear for them to arrive."

"Oh," Chat said, letting his ears droop slightly. "I'm sorry," he said, playing up slightly his disappointment. "I picked up the scent of freshly baked key lime cupcakes earlier," he explained, faintly emphasizing the _earlier_part of his sentence. "You can't blame a cat for trying to get his paws on one, can you, Princess?" he asked, using his best version of Doll Eyes on her.

Chat could tell Marinette was anxious that he not be present when Adrien made his appearance, and tried not to smile at her discomfort. How could he? She didn't know - yet - that he was _already_there. Her inner hostess won out, clearly concluding that feeding her kitty might expedite his departure. "Fine," she said. "Wait here."

"As you wish," he said as he remained in his crouch, eyes following her as she disappeared back into the residence. His feline hearing followed her all the way to the kitchen, where he lost her for a bit; in short order, he could hear her returning.

Pushing back through the skylight, Marinette's gaze connected with his masked emerald eyes, and he could see a trace of amusement in her own deep blues. "You… you waited _exactly_where you were?"

"Per your request," he said, smiling.

"You _never_do what I tell you," she said as she crossed over to him with a small tray.

Inwardly he smiled; for the first time, he found himself wondering if she was speaking as Marinette or Ladybug. How he had not seen the similarities earlier? It spoke to his emotional blindness. Chat decided that changed now. "I'm turning over a new paw," he said as he deftly nabbed one of the cupcakes from the offered tray and quickly bit into it.

He'd been prepared for the exquisite baking, but as Chat, the explosion of flavors that hit his feline sense of taste had him closing his eyes and purring with pure bliss. He'd sampled plenty of goodies while on that rooftop, but the tang of the lime was something altogether extraordinary. "This tastes five hundred times _better_than it smelled this afternoon," he said somewhat slyly as he gleefully licked the last of the buttercream frosting from a claw tip. "Thank you," he said, trying to ignore the remaining cupcake.

"I'm glad you liked it," Marinette laughed. "I'm not sure how Papa will react when I tell him you purred when you ate it, though."

"Let him know it's superior to a Michelin star," he replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously as they inexorably slid toward the second cupcake.

Marinette saw the gleam in Chat's eye. "Go ahead," she said, inclining her head toward the remaining prey.

Chat surprised her by leaping toward the tray and cleanly snagging the final cupcake as he passed in a smooth movement, landing opposite her in his crouch. He made a show of sniffing the cupcake once more before popping it into his mouth whole and happily munching.

Marinette was about to remark on how Chat was looking more like a chipmunk with those bulging cheeks of his when she stopped short; his rather exaggerated show of taking in the scent of the cupcake had looked rather familiar. Chat caught her slightly contemplative look and judged he might be making some progress. Smiling crookedly, he slowly moved toward her.

"Chat got your tongue?" he asked, smirking slightly as he leapt beyond her to perch on the railing she was leaning against.

Flushing slightly as she turned toward Chat, Marinette coughed before replying, "Uh, no. I was just struck but something there for a moment." She glanced meaningfully over the railing toward the door to the shop, which Chat gleefully ignored.

"By the way," he said as he nonchalantly examined the claws on the paw not holding the railing, "that was some nice work with the yo-yo this afternoon. I've only seen one other person with mad skills like that."

Marinettee's eyes widened slightly. "You… you saw the talent show?"

"Yes," Chat replied, tilting his head up slightly and giving her his version of the Bacall stare from beneath his flyaway bangs. "Apparently Chloe wasn't the only one using her Miraculous talents," he added quietly.

As he watched Marinette's face go full crimson, Chat tried to keep his from betraying anything, which for a feline used to wearing his emotions on his sleeve, was quite the struggle. He wanted so _badly_for her to accept this sudden change in their relationship and worried he might jeopardize his chances with the girl of his dreams.

Carefully he continued: "You might have gotten away with it, too, Milady, if you hadn't had to make that emergency run to the Bakery for the pastries."

He watched her deep blue eyes carefully, and could see some fear there - had he truly guessed her identity? Chat softened his expression and nodded slowly.

It took a long moment - longer, almost, than his heart could stand, before Marinette started to smile. "Adrien isn't dropping by, is he?" she asked.

"It depends on how the rest of this conversation goes," Chat said honestly.

Shaking her head, Marinette poked Chat in his costumed chest with a finger. "Now I know how the mouse must feel," she mused.

Chat only smiled wider.

"So it was the yo-yo, then?" she asked.

"It was the final piece," Chat nodded. "You must have dropped your transformation shortly before you came on stage. The last vestiges of your scent notes as Ladybug were still present; I wouldn't have put it together without your amazing yo-yo exhibition."

"I had to make two trips, actually. The akuma this morning threw me completely: I forgot my yo-yo _and_your pastries," Marinette grinned somewhat sheepishly. "I _thought_something had happened to you, the way you stumbled. It never occurred to me you were channeling your feline abilities until just a few minutes ago; you waved your hand over the lime cupcake almost the same way at the show."

"I may have been trying to connect the dots for you, Milady," he smiled. "However, I'm not ashamed to admit I've been harboring dark thoughts around those cupcakes from the moment you put one beneath my nose."

Carefully, Chat dropped down to stand next to Marinette, close, but not _too_close. "I won't lie. I've wished for this moment nearly from the time I first met you." Seeing Marinette was about to interrupt him, he held up a claw. "Before you start quoting the Superhero Golden Rule to me, I am completely comfortable with you knowing my secret." He paused for a heartbeat. "I trust you completely. I always have. And..." he said, slightly tentatively, "I furvently hope you believe me when I tell you I will protect your secret."

Chat searched her eyes, trying to see if he'd gone too far. She was looking at him with an intensity he was familiar with; it appeared anytime she was working out a thorny issue, though he'd normally only seen it on Ladybug's face. He knew now, if he'd been paying attention, he'd have seen it on Marinette's face, too.

All that time, wasted. He tried not to shake his mane at his numb-headedness.

At length Marinette smiled. "I know I should be telling you this is nuts, and that we're putting ourselves and our loved ones in danger. But…"'

Chat held his breath.

"I've worked with you long enough now to know I would equally trust you with my secrets - and my life. The real question is whether you are ready, truly ready, to take our relationship to a new level." Marinette slowly stood on tiptoe and leaned close to his feline ear. "So, kitty," she whispered cheerfully, "are you?"

Encircling her with his arms, he leaned back a bit and smiled. "I'm a bit new at this," he said, "and I know I'm gonna make some boneheaded mistakes. So as long as you're as patient as you are normally with me, yes." He took a deeper breath. "With my whole heart, yes."

"Then here is your first lesson," she said as she leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss. Though it was only a few seconds, it felt to Chat to have been a moment he could have lived in for eternity.

As she pulled back, he smiled - a new smile, one that he knew he would only use with Marinette. "Here's to the start of a beautiful friendship," he said as he gazed into her eyes.

"Are you quoting a movie to me? At this highly emotional moment?" she teased.

"Purrhaps," he laughed. Then he thought of something, and said: "So… in the interest of full disclosure, you wouldn't want to share with me the identities-"

"Don't push it, kitty," Marinette said, leveling her best Ladybug glare on her partner.

He grinned a bit wider. "As you wish, Milady." He bowed with his usual flourish, and kissed her hand, before leaping up onto the balcony railing and barrel-rolling off, before extending his baton and leaping off into the late afternoon sunlight. He was smiling hard enough to split his face in two when he heard her exasperated "Chat!" followed by her laughter echoing around him on the wind.

Adrien flopped down on his bed, smiling to himself, and sighing happily. "Plagg. It's her. Marinette and Ladybug. They are the same person, and I couldn't be happier."

Plagg looked at him, completely unimpressed. "I could be happier. How about some cheese?"

Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami. "You know where the cheese is. Help yourself." When Plagg had disappeared, Adrien pulled out his phone and texted Marinette, asking if he could walk her to school the next morning. She responded almost instantly, saying that she would love for him to, and inquired as to which kind of baked goods he would like, and that she didn't recommend cupcakes for breakfast. Smiling at just how adorable his new girlfriend was, he sat up in horror.

_He hadn't actually asked her to be his girlfriend!_

Snatching up his phone, he video-called Marinette. She answered, smiling at him. "I missed you too, Kitty, but I do need to do some of my homework tonight." Noticing the slightly panicked look in his eyes, she dropped her teasing grin. "What's wrong?"

"Marinette! I forgot something really important."

"It's alright, Adrien. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together."

"Wi-will you be my girlfriend?"

"That's what you were worried about? Of course, Chaton. I love you. I always have."

Adrien drew in a deep breath, and visibly relaxed. "I love you too, Bugaboo. But I've been telling you that for years."

Marinette smiled sweetly at Adrien. "I know, Kitty. I'll see you tomorrow." She blew him a little kiss, and hung up before she saw the blush that crept up her new boyfriend's neck.

Hand in hand, Adrien and Marinette arrived at school the next morning, to the raucous cheers of most of their classmates, all of whom knew about Marinette's crush on the blonde and the level of obliviousness of the boy in question. Even Chloe came over to them. She almost-smiled at Marinette, and leaning close to her ear said, "He looks happy, so I'm not going to say anything to you, but if he ever stops being happy, I will end you. I'm Queen Bee. I can do that, you know."

Marinette looked solemnly at the girl in front of her, who was trying very hard to be supportive of her friend and a girl she didn't care for, and simply said, "I understand." She had been proud of the girl the evening before, when she'd returned to the Grand Paris Hotel to collect the Bee Miraculous, and Chloe had handed it over without a fuss and a tight hug.

She'd talked with the situation Adrien the night before, and they'd both said how proud they were of Chloe, both how far she'd come and how hard she was trying. Marinette had promised him she would try harder to be friendly with her as Marinette, not just as Ladybug.

Over the next several weeks, both Marinette and Adrien were able to live out their fantasies, kissing each other both in and out of the suits, although they were careful that only Adrien and Marientte were seen kissing in public.

Chat Noir was a frequent guest to Marinette's balcony, under the cover of darkness, often shortly after Adrien had departed, and checked in with Nathalie or his bodyguard and gone to his room for the night.

As much as he loved Marinette as herself, Adrien could not deny the thrill that he got on the nights he heard the tapping at his window, and he looked up to see Ladybug hanging there, shyly waving at him.

Adrien spent most of his afternoons with Marinette, his father having been surprisingly amenable to their relationship, providing that he was able to keep up with all his extra curricular activities. They usually spent their time doing homework together, or listening to the stories that their kwamis told. For their part, Plagg and Tikki were thrilled to be reunited, spending their time, snuggling or snarking at each other good naturedly.

Ladybug and Chat Noir, after an akuma fight, slipped away into an alley together, and shared a few kisses, hidden from prying eyes before their transformations dropped. The pair had talked about it, and one day, a few months from now, they planned to let Alya catch them in a kiss, but right now, it was for them. They were in the public eye enough as Adrien and Marientte, and, while Marinette seemed to have a talent for avoiding fans and paparazzi alike, they wanted to have the chance to have a normal relationship. Or as normal as it can be when you wear magical suits, and run around Paris fighting butterfly-powered villains.

Adrien smiled as he thought about the surprising turn that his life had taken, and knew that he could not be happier.


	4. Week 4 - Mid-Life Crisis

**Week Four: Mid-Life Crisis**

_Lyra here. This week, our topic was "Future" and, I will admit - at first, this theme gave me a hard time. (Just ask my co-authors. I complained a lot. - sorry, guys!). Then, one night a story popped into my head. I took a moment to think of what a man like Adrien would feel like in his 40s like me, trying to balance the life of an adult: job, spouse, children. What would he want? And so, this week's story begins. _

_CM: Lyra… I had no idea you were a man in your 40s… you totally had me fooled!_

_Lyra: HAHA. No! I'm an old 40 year old WOMAN. I just meant…. Oh, nevermind. Sigh. _

* * *

As his 45th birthday drew near, there was one thing that Adrien Agreste dreamed of. Not a new exotic sports car (although he admitted there were some pretty amazing ones out there), or a wild vacation, or any other of the stereotypical mid-life crisis behaviours that men seem to have. No. No.

Adrien Agreste only wanted one thing: to relive his Chat Noir glory days.

The need for superheroes had been limited in Paris for the last 20 years, thanks to the defeat of Hawkmoth and his misguided plans. Despite the years of trauma that particular incident had caused, Adrien had managed to come out the other side stronger. But he missed the rush of racing wildly over rooftops, battling ridiculous villains, and making horribly wonderful puns to his partner, Ladybug.

The funny thing about ageing is that one day, you are 19, agile, youthful, and free then the next you are 40, staring at the greying hair and tired eyes looking back at you in the mirror, a life full of responsibilities, wondering how exactly that had happened.

Adrien still felt like a teenager inside, even if he found his muscles aching slightly when standing up after sitting too long. Even when he looked at his teenaged children in the eyes. Even when he even when he tried to figure out if that was really his face in the mirror and not some illusion of his father's.

Plagg had thoroughly enjoyed the lazy non-activity of the last 20 years, gorging himself on extremely expensive cheeses and spending the rest of his days pestering Tikki or the houseful of teenagers between naps. Adrien thought the little kwami seemed a little more sluggish and rotund than he had in the past - a product of a life half lived.

So, it was with all these thoughts in mind that Adrien approached a conversation with his floating cat friend. "I've been thinking, Plagg. I want to go out tonight." Plagg didn't respond. "As Chat Noir."

To that, the kwami gave Adrien a distinctly disapproving side-eye.

"No."

Adrien sighed, years of friendship with Plagg had fully prepared him for that. Time to pull the trump card.

"Good thing I bought you some specialty cheese then to change your mind." Another side-eye, this time with a combination of curiosity and irritation together. Adrien flashed him a grin, to which Plagg simply slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, but I get half now and half after."

Deal made, Adrien pulled the large chunk of Roquefort cheese out of the back of the mini-fridge in his office where they had been talking, holding his breath as he unwrapped the paper. Plagg's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, drool oozing out the corners of his mouth. A chunk tossed in his direction elicited a sound from the kwami that humans probably shouldn't be privy to before Plagg attacked the cheese with pleasure.

Adrien couldn't fault the little guy - his own excitement bubbling just under the surface. The fact that as soon as Plagg managed to gulp down that nasty cheese, Adrien would be able to once again be Chat Noir sent a ripple of anticipation over his skin.

It seemed like an eternity despite the fact it was probably only a minute, but finally, Plagg was ready. Still unimpressed, but ready.

"Plagg, Transform me."

He hadn't said those words in years. He hadn't felt the immediate rush of energy that came from his ring in so long and he relished the electricity sizzling over this body as it took over him. From toe to head, familiar black material replaced the casual clothing he'd been wearing. Running his hand over his face, a mask guarded his eyes, and fingers in his hair pulled his black cat ears up. The belted tail shot out of his back and he stretched like a cat in the sunshine at how wonderful it felt to be suited up again.

With a few spry steps, he moved to the mirror hanging behind the door to see how he looked. It took a moment to process. He looked similar to his youth - although his hair was more on the silver side than gold - wild hair, glowing green eyes, and the same golden bell at his throat. He flicked it playfully. Did the shadow of whiskers on his chin give Chat a more roguish look?

The suit was tighter than he remembered, making him a little uncomfortable at the display of his not-quite-so-young body. Thankfully, he had been a fan of physical fitness over the years. This suit would definitely be unappealing if he'd let himself gain a softer body.

He felt light and strong, a smirk curling his lips as he flexed in the mirror. Not bad, if he did say so himself. He honestly was kind of glad that Plagg hadn't decided to play some kind of sick joke and turn his suit into something hideous.

"Adrien?" Marinette's voice called from the hallway on the other side of the office door. "Are you in the office?"

Eyes widening in a slight panic, Chat Noir looked around the office for a quick plan. He stuffed his cell phone into one of his pockets and bolted out the window, grabbing onto the eavestrough to pull himself onto the roof. That wasn't nearly as easy as he'd remembered, his legs kicking wildly to give himself some extra momentum over the lip.

His cat ears twitched at the sound of the office door opening and Marinette calling his name as she entered the room. He could hear her walk around the space, the floor creaking slightly under her gentle footsteps.

"I could have sworn he was home." The mutter was soft but confused. Chat Noir grit his teeth staying as still as he could so she wouldn't hear him scuffling across the roof. Finally, she left his office, pulling the door behind her. A quiet breath of relief left him as he relaxed.

Time to give this superhero re-enactment a try..

Standing up, he cracked his neck, pulling his arms across his body in a stretch, and jogged slightly in place before grasping at the baton from its typical place on his back. Chat Noir eyed the gap between his house and that of the neighbour's. It seemed farther than he remembered jumping in the past, but surely with Plagg's super agility and other skills, it wouldn't be impossible. Fingers on auto-pilot, he took a few steps back before running to the edge of the roof and jumping off, extending the baton to the size of a pole vault. As it made contact with the ground, he pushed off it, retracting it and finding himself mid-air in a familiar arc.

An arc that he suddenly realized wasn't going to clear the gap.

Frantically, he extended his baton again and hoped he could relaunch off it, only to have it land in the neighbour's pool with a small splash, slipping. A curse word escaped his lips as the direction of his landing shifted and he awkwardly tumbled into the pool. Spluttering as he emerged from the water, he swam to the edge and dragged himself over the side, head shaking the water off his hair like a wet animal. A puddle forming around the cement where he'd flopped, Chat realized that this was going to take more work than he'd remembered. He could almost hear Plagg cackling with joy at this experience.

A quick check of his phone reassured him that it had been saved from the unexpected waterlog. Carefully, he tucked it back in place and eyed the roof that he'd so unceremoniously missed the first time. A quick vault had him back to the tops of the buildings and he started running along the peaks.

Slowly, the comfortable rhythm of his legs combined with the propelling and vaulting of his baton returned. The wind of his quick pace burned pleasantly against his cheeks and through his hair. It was impossible to keep the holler of joy inside mid-air between rooftops as he neared the Eiffel Tower.

The sudden and urgent desire to sit overlooking the city in the fading light of day was almost unbearable - memories of some of his favourite days flooding him with warmth.

The tower loomed over Paris, the glow of its nighttime lights calling like a lighthouse beacon, pulling him in the right direction. His booted feet hit the ground with a loud clump mid-run, drawing more attention than he'd intended. Still running at top speed, he flashed a cheeky grin at the startled audience before taking a giant leap onto the metal side of the tower. His claws slipped a little, and his heart skipped a beat while he struggled to get a better grip. The moment he had full contact, he was back off and clawing his way up the side.

Higher and higher he climbed, the top of the tower in sight. This is what he'd been dreaming of - the freedom, the strength, the power, the wonder that his life as a hero had been before the weight of different responsibilities had pulled on him.

Finally, he was as high up as he could get, perching himself on a ledge in a folded cat-like pose. Paris was as beautiful as he'd remembered from here, the lights of the night beginning to sparkle in the encroaching darkness. He took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes to savour this moment. It had been too long.

Suddenly, his ring beeped with extreme urgency. Blinking at the flashing green paw on his hand, he realized that Plagg was about to drop the transformation without much of a warning. Chat didn't have enough time to do much more than push his body backwards from the ledge so he wouldn't tumble off. The green light was bright against the darkened sky and Adrien found himself in his pyjama pants and oversized t-shirt standing stranded at the top of the Eiffel Tower where civilians couldn't access. Plagg flopped into Adrien's hands with a groan.

"Cheese. I need cheese," the little being whined, arms and legs splayed dramatically wide. Adrien sighed, knowing the cheese that he'd promised his kwami was still in the fridge in the office. It had been many years since he'd kept a piece of stinky cheese in his pocket for recharging. All he could offer was a sheepish smile. "Ugh, Kid. I can't do that anymore. Been too long."

Adrien dropped to the pavement, placing Plagg gently on his chest. "No worries, Plagg. I appreciate it. That was amazing. I'd missed that."

For a while, the pair just stayed on the platform, admiring the sights and sounds of the city in the stillness of the night. Finally, Adrien sighed, admitting defeat. Pulling his phone from his pyjama pocket, he dialled Marinette.

"Adrien?" At the sincere concern in her voice, he just smiled.

"Hey, Bugaboo."

"Where are you? I thought you were home. The car is in the garage, but you aren't in your office and I-" God, he loved her rambling.

"I was at home, Mari, but I popped out for a bit of a stroll."

"Oh." She was silent for longer than he had expected. "Everything ok?"

"Well…." He wasn't sure how to explain it. "Yes and no."

He could hear her soft sigh and a chiding voice murmuring in the background. Tikki, he presumed.

"What?!" He heard Marinette squawk before the high pitched voice continued. Marinette's response was muffled as she held her phone against her shirt.

"Ok, where are you, kitty? Still at the Eiffel Tower?" Of course she would have found out, he thought guiltily. His money was on Alya.

"Bring cheese?" was all he said before he heard her call Tikki to transform her and the line cut out.

It wasn't long before he could see her lithe form swinging over the rooftops, speeding towards the tower. Ladybug. His hero.

She landed in a crouch before the tower, looking looked so incredibly small from his vantage point. Soon she was a blur of red and black as she used her yo-yo to pull herself higher and higher. She could see the fierce glint in her blue eyes and the way the wind fluttered through her long, black hair.

It was only a moment before she flipped over the railing and landed beside him with a slightly scolding look, before transforming. "Oh, Adrien."

He flashed her a cheeky smile with a simple "hey" before accepting her cheese offering that Plagg gulped with extreme vigour.

Adrien grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her against him, so she could look over the city, too.

"Isn't it beautiful, milady? We haven't been here in so long, I had almost forgotten." He could almost feel her smile as she leaned into him with a sigh.

"You have missed this, haven't you, kitty?" she whispered. He had. "Me, too."

They stayed there at the top of the tower for a long while, snuggled up together against the cool air of the night. It wasn't until Marinette yawned that they decided to suit up again and make their way down the tower.

They hadn't expected a crowd to be waiting for them at the bottom, cheers and camera flashes filling their senses. It seemed that Paris had not forgotten them. Smiling brightly, Chat pulled Ladybug close, admiring the way that her red and dotted outfit still looked on her.

"Milady?" He asked. She smiled back with a soft nod.

"Kitty."

And he kissed her. Just like he had always dreamed as a teen.

The crowd erupted in loud pandemonium. One thing that Chat Noir and Ladybug had never done was kiss publicly.

He winked at her flushed face when they pulled apart, fingers woven together. In a fluid motion, they launched themselves towards the rooftops and made their way home.

Collapsing in the office window, Plagg bolted for his promise of stinky cheese with Tikki in tow while Adrien and Marinette lay on the floor side by side, eyes sparkling with the fun of an adventure, laughter bubbling on their lips.

At that exact moment, Adrien had two thoughts.

One: His ladybug was more beautiful than ever.

Two: Maybe the glory days weren't as amazing as today after all.


End file.
